Table of Contents

1.0 REVIEW OF THE HOLDEN'S ENGINE COMPANY OPERATIONS

2.0 PLANNING AND ORGANISATION OF THE HEC CLEANER PRODUCTION PROJECT  

2.1 CLEANER PRODUCTION APPROACH USED AT HEC
2.2 CLEANER PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES AT HEC
2.2.1 Chemical Management Program

3.0 CLEANER PRODUCTION INITIATIVES
3.1 CHEMICAL USE
3.1.1 Coolant Waste Reduction - MAZAK Area
3.1.2 Coolant Dump and Recharge Reduction
3.1.3 Investigation into New Coolants
3.1.4 Cost Incentives to Reduce Waste
3.2 WASTEWATER QUALITY
3.2.1 Baseline Data
3.3 OTHER INITIATIVES 3.4SUMMARY OF RESULTS

4.0 REVIEW OF PROJECT

5.0 CONCLUDING REMARKS

6.0 HOLDEN'S ENGINE COMPANY PERSPECTIVE

7.0 GLOSSARY OF TERMS

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1 TRADE WASTE TREATMENT PLANT - BASE-LINE DATA
TABLE 2 SUMMARY OF COST BENEFITS - IMMEDIATE AND PROJECTED
TABLE 3 TRADE WASTE TREATMENT PLANT EFFLUENT DATA

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1 EFFLUENT, OIL AND WATER AND DISSOLVED AIR FLOTATION SLUDGE VOLUMES
FIGURE 2 EFFLUENT PARAMETERS

LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A TRADE WASTE TREATMENT PLANT PROCESS DESCRIPTION
APPENDIX B LIST OF COOLANT SYSTEMS

The Cleaner Production Demonstration Project (the Project) is an initiative of Environment Australia -Environment Protection Group (EPG).. The aim of the Project was to raise the awareness of Australian industry and actively promote cleaner production issues. One of the companies chosen for the project, Holden's Engine Company (HEC), manufactures and assembles vehicle engines for local and international markets. The Cleaner Production Demonstration Project identified for study, from the outset, was the Chemical Management Program outsourced by HEC to Castrol+Plus (Castrol) in April 1995. Dames & Moore's role was to study the effects of the newly introduced Chemical Management Program on the final wastewater quality discharged from the HEC site.

During the project study, Castrol also undertook to monitor their performance (chemical usage, volume of waste discharge to Trade Waste Treatment Plant) as it was critical for Castrol to maintain control of the program on a daily basis. Dames & Moore's role was to study the effects of any chemical management initiatives on wastewater streams being discharged to the Trade Waste Treatment Plant and the effluent discharged as trade waste. Periodic reviews prepared by Dames & Moore for HEC and Castrol provided assistance by indicating changes in the content and volume of effluent discharged as trade waste.

The Chemical Management Program, which will run indefinitely, has been very successful in its first year of operation. Estimated average monthly reductions in trade waste volume have been 6%per month. Oil and water waste and Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) sludge waste indicated an overall increase in volume over the period of the Project, however the later period of the Project provided strong indications of a future downwards trend in the volume of liquid waste requiring disposal from the Trade Waste Treatment Plant. The constituents of trade waste, including ammonia and total dissolved solids, have not changed significantly over the period of the Project, however there has been a noticeable reduction in the oil and grease content of the discharge.

Cost savings, chemical purchase volume savings and waste discharge volume savings realised during the project, resulting from improved coolant management, coolant exchange practices, the use of bacterial/fungal resistant coolants and reduced liquid/sludge waste disposal are presented in the table below. Projected additional annual savings resulting from the change in practices observed and the current trends in chemical use and waste reduction are also presented below.

1.0 Review of Holden's Engine Company Operations