March 9, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Solenis recognized Armstrong World Industries’ ceiling plant in Marietta, Pennsylvania, with a 2022 Solenis Sustainability Award for a project that improved vacuum pump operation and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.
WILMINGTON, Del. (USA) – Solenis LLC, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals, is proud to announce that Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI), a leader in the design, innovation and manufacture of ceiling and wall solutions in the Americas based in Lancaster, PA, is among the winners of a 2022 Solenis Sustainability Award. Armstrong World Industries is being recognized for a project that led to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 42 tons per year using Solenis’ Zenix™ scale control technology.
The Solenis Sustainability Award recognizes specific and verifiable customer projects that have, over a period of 12 months, delivered measurable results against one of five sustainability indicators: reduced water use, reduced energy consumption, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, optimized raw material utilization, or reduced waste.
Solenis worked with Armstrong World Industries to develop and implement a scale control program at the company’s manufacturing plant in Marietta, PA. The plant was experiencing excessive scaling in vacuum pumps used in dewatering operations and had to frequently perform maintenance to clean, repair, and replace the pumps due to the accumulation of calcium carbonate scale. Before working with Solenis, the company was using a competitor’s continuous scale control program in its vacuum pumps.
According to Zach Talbot, Key Account Manager at Solenis, implementing solutions that drive value and reduce operational inefficiency forms the foundation of the Solenis mission. “As a chemical supplier focused on the success of our customers, we are excited to help our long-term partners like Armstrong overcome challenging problems. Our commitment to creative problem-solving and sustainability is at the core of everything we do. When we collaborate with like-minded organizations, we can achieve significant results.”
An important part of that collaboration involved scientists at Solenis’ Customer Application Laboratory in Wilmington, DE, who analyzed a sample of water taken from the system and designed a scale control program based on the Marietta plant’s specific process conditions and water quality features. They chose Zenix DZ4393 scale inhibitor over several other tested products as the best solution. A few of the vacuum pumps had a faster scaling rate than others, so various dosage levels were recommended based on scaling demand. The Zenix program was very successful and significantly reduced the amount of scale formation inside the vacuum pumps.
With these changes, the Armstrong plant achieved the following year-over-year benefits:
- Reduced CO2 emissions of 42 tons per year based on energy savings attributed to more efficient vacuum pump operation.
- 93 percent reduction in scaling-related downtime.
- $300,000 annual savings, or a 55 percent reduction in vacuum pump treatment and maintenance costs.
Armstrong World Industries has sustainability targets in place to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, from a 2019 baseline, by 2030. Their partnership with Solenis is helping them reach these goals.
“We really appreciate the support and customer service from Solenis on the Marietta plant’s vacuum pump system,” said Kyle Swift, Corporate Reliability Engineer at Armstrong World Industries. “It’s been a multi-year journey, but through dedication and partnership, we have been able to get the vacuum system in a much better place than ever before. The improvements have impacted multiple areas of the business, including uptime, quality, and spend. I’m looking forward to the continued partnership and future endeavors.”
To learn more about Solenis and sustainability, visit the Solenis website at: https://www.solenis.com/en/sustainability/strategic-vision