RENDELL ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS
OF THE 2004 GOVERNOR’S AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE

Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty has named St. Marys Pressed Metals, Inc. of Ridgway as one of the 11 winners of the 2004 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. The award honors Pennsylvania businesses and organizations that undertake projects involving environmental problem solving resulting in new business growth, enhancing the bottom line and commitment to community investment.

St. Marys Pressed Metals was recognized for this award for its diligence in experiments using a dried form of iron oxide derived from acid mine drainage as a powder additive for the powdered metals (P/M) industry. The result of SMPM’s research would be a new, cost-effective technology to produce a useful raw material for P/M industry use from the sludge residual, and to test the metallic characteristic of this material as applied in the P/M industry.

According to SMPM Project Manager Jim Aiello, the particle characteristics are conducive to powder coating, ceramics and injection molding applications. Further characteristics will be tested including electrical conductivity, magnetism, material consistency from source to source, flow characteristics, thermal dynamics, milling techniques, de-oxidizing potential and structural geometries including nanostructure. Test bearing samples have been run using the dried sludge from the Little Toby Creek mine water reclamation project, operated by the department of environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation.

“We have had a lot of help with this challenge, and would like to thank Jim Caribardi, DEP, North Central, and Norbert Arnold Consulting,” said project manager Jim Aiello.

SMPM was presented with a flag and sculpture to honor the company’s endeavors. The award was announced Sept. 22 by DEP.

For more information, contact Jim Aiello at (814) 772-7455.