Through its resources and expertise, MERC is helping Robins Air Force Base meet and exceed environmental safety standards. Robins Air Force Base, one of the country's largest and most important military facilities, recently called on the experts at MERC for a number of environmental projects. Working under separate contracts, MERC is enabling Robins to meet an Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, chromium emissions mandate, and has offered solutions for the elimination of environmentally hazardous chemicals used in many aircraft maintenance operations. Robins Air Force Base uses chromium as an anti-corrosion substance for many of its airplane parts. Blades, gears and other essential components that need to be chromium-plated are submerged in one of five heated chromium tanks at a plating shop on the base.
Vents attached to the tanks acting as vacuums draw the chromium vapor through ducts in the basement.
The chromium vapor is then routed through an add-on control unit, similar to a smoke stack, where clean air containing only trace amounts of chromium eventually is emitted. The new unit contains three different vertical absorption pads. The third pad is simply used for chromium absorption. MERC's implementation of this device and its configuration has created an added environmental benefit. As the chrome vapor passes through the pads and water is injected, the pads eventually accrue a great deal of chrome build-up.