III Corps and Fort Hood

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Parts Cleaning

Industry: Government Agency-Includes Military

Wastes Reduced: Solvent

Substance: PD-680

Equipment: Terpene Cleaners

Location: Fort Hood, Bell County TX

No. of employees: 45000

Contact: Bill Bodkin

Phone: (254) 287-8713

Description:

Current washer stations in the helicopter maintenance area at Fort Hood use PD-680, which is a hazardous solvent. The installation researched alternative technologies for replacement and discovered that a terpene based alternative met specific needs of the military.

P2 Application:

Inland Technology’s "Breakthrough" was chosen as the alternative to the previous hydrocarbon-based solvent. This solvent performs as well or better than PD-680. While "Breakthrough" appears to be an acceptable alternative, the real advantage being evaluated at Fort Hood is the use of "Breakthrough" in new parts washer stations that include on-board closed-loop filtration technology. These stations are used to clean aviation equipment, weapons, and ground equipment.

Environmental Benefits:

By using parts washer stations with a solvent filtering mechanism, Fort Hood expects to extend the use of solvent from 16 months to two or more years.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

To date, Fort Hood has reduced solvent purchases by more than 70%.

Source: TCEQ