Sand beneficial reuse guides unveiled

Modern Casting, Nov, 2006

Two guidance documents to help increase the beneficial reuse of metalcasting sand recently were unveiled by the metalcasting sector partnership of American Foundry Society (AFS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both guides, aimed at assisting state environmental agencies and individual metalcasting facilities in developing sand beneficial reuse programs and appropriately managing their sands for reuse, were released Sept. 17.

EPA's guide, "The State Toolkit for Developing Beneficial Reuse Programs for Foundry Sand," provides state environmental agencies with an overview of current beneficial reuse practices, case studies on successful program designs and a guide to sampling and testing requirements. The information and guidance will help states develop and improve beneficial reuse programs.

EPA has made the toolkit available on-line at http ://www.epa. gov/sectors/ metalcasting/toolkit_bw.pdf.

Metalcasters interested in learning more about how they can reuse their sand will find a valuable tool in AFS' guide, "Turning Used Foundry Sand into a Marketable Resource: Best Management Practices for Beneficial Reuse." This document explains the necessary steps to start a reuse program at one's facility, lists sand end users' general requirements, and provides a helpful program checklist for metalcasters beneficially reusing their sand.

The electronic form of the guide will soon be available on the AFS website.

For more information on the metalcasting sector program or beneficial reuse of metalcasting sand issues, contact Amy Blankenbiller at the AFS Washington Office, 202/842-4864 or ab@afsinc.org.