Machining Filter Media Recycling Project

The objective of Detroit Diesel Corporation’s Machining Filter Media Recycling project was to find a way to keep this media out of the landfill.  A review of the common waste-disposal practices for used filter media was assessed. Their process was to ship used filter media off-site for energy recovery.  If we followed this common practice, the transportation costs alone would have exceeded $100,000 per year, not to mention the harm to the environment from incinerator emissions.  This did not seem to be a reasonable or cost-effective alternative, as it neither supported the local economy nor aligned with our sustainability efforts.  Something new and innovative was needed achieve the goal of removing the used filter media from the landfill.  The aim of this project was to remove the 295 tons of machining filter media from landfill disposal and reuse the reclaimed media by the end of 2012. 

To accomplish this task, DDC needed to find a machining filter media that could meet the requirements of recyclability while meeting machining’s stringent quality requirements for production.  DDC partnered with a machining filter media distributor that made polypropylene filter media.  Polypropylene is a highly sought after product due to its reusability.  The used filter media is returned back to the filter manufacturer to be processed and converted to polypropylene pellets.  These pellets are then used to make absorbent pads used to soak up oils, coolants or other spills; machine and fan filters used to improve air quality; and trays used to hold parts.