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Pollution Prevention
We undertake pollution prevention activities in all Alcan business
groups and in all countries where we operate. Our underlying objective
with these initiatives is to satisfy or exceed regulatory demands,
while improving our competitive position and efficiency. It is mandatory
for all Alcan facilities to strive for 100% compliance—in the
case of non-compliance, necessary steps are taken in conjunction
with the relevant authorities.
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North American Toxic Release Reduction
Reducing toxic air releases has been a top priority for our
North American rolling facilities over the last decade. Programs
have been implemented to drive down toxic air releases as
quantified since the late 1980s in the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory and Canada's National
Pollutant Release Inventory. During this period, we have achieved
a 55% reduction in toxic air releases.
Most of the air releases are associated with aluminum casting
operations where hydrogen chloride (HCI) is a by-product of
the metal cleaning operation, and in our coil coating operations
where volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released. HCl
and VOC emissions have been greatly reduced through a number
of pollution prevention solutions, including:
- Enhanced operating practices that minimize the use of
toxic chemicals;
- Improved metering equipment on furnace operations;
- Decoater pollution controls at our Oswego, New York and
Berea, Kentucky facilities;
- Installation of state-of-the-art pollution controls in
new facilities;
- VOC capture system upgrade at our Warren, Ohio facility;
- Elimination of chlorine gas use in all furnace operations
in 2001, as well as in South America.
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Rolled Products—North American Operations
Hazardous Air Releases (lb./year)
(2001 data not available at time of publication)
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Coating Line Elimination Program
Traditionally, coil coating involves the pretreatment of the
aluminum coil in a chromium containing solution—a process
that generates large volumes of hazardous wastewater sludge.
A newly developed pretreatment process has been successfully
implemented across North America that totally eliminates the
use of chromium and has reduced North American Rolled Products'
hazardous waste generation by 50% compared to a 2000 baseline.
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Industrial Waste Disposal
at the Jonquiere Complex
in the Saguenay Region in Quebec
Alcan continues its efforts to reduce the volumes
of industrial waste shipped to its disposal site at the Jonquiere
Complex through increased recycling. The service life of the landfill
has tripled as a result.
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