Reduction of waste in furan molding process from cast iron foundry

Abstract

In recent years, foundries across the globe are oriented towards development of techniques to reduce the adverse effects of foundry waste on the environment. Hence, government enacted stringent procedures on the foundry waste management. Hence, waste management remains a critical factor on the foundry’s economic function. Foundries practice sand molding process for mass production of components, which inherently generate dust and waste. Mechanical reclamation system segregates the molding sand into reusable sand and waste sand. The reusable sand is consequently used for new molding processes, whereas the waste sand is categorized as dust and lumps. The primary objective of this research is to reduce the dust and to reuse the waste sand lumps without compromising the quality of molding sand. Statistical tools are used to optimize mechanical reclamation system. A compatibility mechanization is implemented to convert waste sand lumps into usable sand in line with the standards of American Foundry Society. The results indicate a ∼ 43% reduction in dust generation through optimization of mechanical reclamation system.