Reduces Greenhouse Gas Industrial pollution, long a focal point in the battle to cut greenhouse gas production, may be reduced thanks to research being done at Tennessee Technological University. With the help of a recent Department of Energy grant, TTU's Mohamed Abdelrahman has developed technology to reduce harmful pollution caused by iron casting. His research on cupola iron furnaces, the primary method for producing cast iron, promises reductions in damaging gas released by the casting industry, the sixth largest industry in the United States.
Cast iron is poured into a mold, like a cup cake, to maintain proper shape during solidification.
In a single step, simple or complex shapes can be made from any melted metal - from individual zipper teeth to huge propellers and stern frames for ocean liners. The burning of coke, a residue left after certain soft coals are heated to use as fuel in melting furnaces, results in the gas emission. Abdelrahman's innovative process can reduce the amount of coke used in U.S. furnaces by 3.4 million tons, resulting in an equal reduction in carbon emissions. Reducing the amount of coke used is also beneficial because coke and its by-products are used to produce dyes, plastics, fuel, aspirin, synthetic rubber and other consumer products. As successful bread baking often depends on an expert baker with a familiar oven, the cupola iron furnace has been dependent on the expertise of the operator for more than 100 years.