In 2005, the US Army Field Support Battalion based in England needed to comply with new Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) regulations.
Unit is a US Army Center of Excellence and plays critical role in the war effort by quickly turning around material needed in field.
Unit refurbishes vehicles and heavy equipment such as mobile cranes and generators, much is from combat zones.
Unit had been using copper slag which no longer met the new HAZMAT regulations in addition to contaminants near water.
The Battalion conducted a test this year using 100% recycled Glass Abrasives to strip their equipment and compared results to copper slag.
Results
The results of the glass abrasive tests surpassed the Army’s expectations. The effectiveness of glass vs. slag was significant.
“ We were impressed by both the cutting performance” and “ the ‘white metal’ finish achieved when compared to copper slag. – Colin Buchanan, Paint Supervisor and Hazmat Officer.
The unit is now in compliance with the new Army HAZMAT regulations and have lowered their disposal costs.
Based on the results of the tests, the Unit has standardized the use of glass abrasives for all future steel surface preparation needs!
Articles Detailing US Army’s use of Recycled Glass Abrasives in U.K.
