> Water > Environmental Services > Pollution Prevention > Pollution Prevention Gallery

Honeywell Wins Governor's Award

Article provided by Honeywell and the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance

The Honeywell-Solid State Electronics Center has earned a Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention. The center develops and manufactures specialized semiconductor technologies and products. Environmental protection and good stewardship is an essential part of Honeywell's business vision and strategies. The company has developed tools and processes to reduce its impact on the environment. They have partnered with environmental agencies and conservation groups for the necessary permits and licenses, as well as for education and understanding of the issues raised concerning the company's impact on the environment.

Honeywell's projects include water use, solid waste disposal and energy use reduction efforts, with benefits to the environment and their bottom line.

• Diversion of wastewater from city sewer to an on-site pond.
• Clean reverse osmosis (R.O.) concentrate and cooling tower blowdown.
• Off-loaded municipal sanitary lines and treatment plant.
• Provided enhanced wildlife habitat in pond.
• Future plans to reuse R.O. concentrate either as feedwater for manufacturing or cooling tower makeup.
• Membrane contractors and ultraviolet lights.
• Reduced chemical regenerations of two-bed deionization (DI) system.
• Off-loaded on-site elementary neutralization system.
• An electro-deionization (EDI) system eliminated corrosive chemical use for deionization.
• Variable frequency drive (VFD) installations reduce energy loads during non-manufacturing hours.
• High efficiency chiller applications replaced less efficient systems and eliminated use of R11 refrigerant.
• Tower-free cooling occurs during cool weather months, and reduces/eliminates electricity needed for chillers.
• An energy-saving heat exchanger transfers energy between cooling water and well water.

Honeywell currently uses the Eco-Efficiency Index for determining their environmental progress. This calculated index uses their current and 1999 baseline air emission, water usage, solid and hazardous waste volumes, and energy use rates, and standardizes them to ongoing production rates. Honeywell's first quarter 2001 index number indicated an overall reduction of 16.8 percent since 1999 in the calculated areas. Site leadership uses this information quarterly to assess its progress toward the company's goals.