Did You Know that casting is a part of metalworking? Well, Casting is a process in which liquid metal is poured into a mold- that contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to cool and solidify.

The solidified part is known as cast, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process.These processes take place in Foundries.

However, due to the nature of work and environment, metal casting industry often pollutes the environment. Casting operations produce odor-causing compounds, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter. Odors generated by foundries in populated areas often result in an increasing number of problems and complaints.

Detrimental Effects of Casting

Some of the important environmental issues associated with the metal casting industry are –

Foundry waste which is prioritized within the global foundry industry from both the environmental point of view as well as economic point of view.

Hazardous Air pollutants (HAPS) include gases, which are generated when molds containing carbon materials are subjected to high temperatures, as happens in the pouring of cast metals.

For more information on how metal casting is harming the environment, click here: http://sustainabilityskills.net.au/sustainability-skills-resources/sustainability-sector-guides/sustainability-issues-in-metals-casting-forging/

Harmful emissions caused by casting melting and production are basically related to the use of additives and fuels or raw material impurities. The use of coke or oil might cause the emission of the product of burning. The use of additives in the process generates a reaction. The presence of impurities in waste that blend by melting may cause the formation of a product with incomplete combustion or a recombination and dust.

How to Reduce or Eliminate Harmful Emissions using zNose?

To reduce or eliminate these complaints, foundries require innovative technologies to provide on-site measurement and monitoring in real time.

Introducing, Electronic Sensor Technology Inc.’s zNose® ,

A portable instrument, which can separate and quantify the concentration of individual chemicals within any odor or chemical vapor in just 10 seconds. “In a single-day, the performance of the zNose® was demonstrated at a commercial scale operating foundry.” The objective of this demonstration was to measure and quantify the source of chemical odors produced on-site within the foundry and to measure the concentration of odors within the surrounding community adjacent to the foundry.

In a single day of testing over 125 measurements were performed onsite.

zNose® is a promising tool for detection and analysis of foundry odors. Using a battery powered remote sampler to collect and concentrate environmental samples in the surrounding community, ppt and lower sensitivity in near real time have been demonstrated. Because the measurements are based on gas chromatography, independent laboratory testing can be used to validate findings.

On-site real time measurements allow foundry operators to react to changing emission levels and to quantitatively and objectively assess the impact of these odors within the surrounding community. Thereby keeping a control on the harmful odors for the communities surrounding them and creating a safer environment.