GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
BENNETTSVILLE
SOUTH CAROLINA
BOWLING GREEN
KENTUCKY
JULY
1972
a ‘first’ in
rubber industry
To capture
and to clean.,®
Technology to capture and clean smoke and fumes
from one of the largest cord-treating units in the tex-
tile-rubber industry was scheduled for tryout in early
July at Firestone Textiles Company’s Gastonia plant.
The equipment is installed at No. 8 unit.
The emissions-capturing device is the first of its kind in
the rubber industry, accoring to J. R. Laman of The Fire
stone Tire & Rubber Company's environmental engineering
service.
To develop the pollution-control installation, said Laman,
the company’s environmental engineering department evalu
ated on the plant site seven pilot-size units.
SIGNIFICANT information obtained from each of the
pilot-unit studies contributed to the design and selection
of equipment for the construction project which was started
in June and completed in early July.
Tailor and Company of Bettendorf, Iowa, supplied the
equipment and materials. Industrial Piping Company of
Charlotte installed it. The project cost in excess of $140,000,
according to J. G. Tino Jr., Gastonia plant engineer.
Laman explained that the company did not choose a basic
incinerator type (one that works principally on gas burners)
because of the efficiency rate of such equipment.
The device selected promises 99 per cent efficiency of
pollution cleanup because it processes the emissions through
a “scrubber” stage and incinerates whatever solids are col
lected.
This "scrubber" is incorporated into the main component
of the capture equipment—an electrostatic precipitator
which isolates solids, or particulates. The remaining solid
wastes are burned, so that final emissions released to the
environment are in the form of invisible water vapor and
carbon dioxide.
Testing of the pollution-cleanup facility scheduled for
early this month was expected to meet standards set by the
Federal Environment Control Agency.
When the Gastonia unit has proved successful, the com
pany will finalize plans for construction of a similar instal
lation at the fabric-treating facility of the Bowling Green,
Ky., Firestone plant.
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news
Precipitator
• •The huge drum-like electrostatic pre
cipitator is the main working portion of
this, the first pollution-control device in the
rubber industry. Giant ducts collect emis
sions from stacks of No. 8 fabric-treating
unit and send them to the precipitator,
mounted on a steel framework above traffic
way between unit and plant warehouses.
This photo, made during construction, does
not show slack which releases cleaned-up
emissions.
Courses In First Aid
With the completion of the most recent course in June, 83
men and women at the Gastonia Firestone plant had earned
the American Red Cross Standard Course in First Aid for the
Injured.
NCVTS: 98 Diplomas
Courses qualifying these em
ployees for certificates in the
Multimedia First Aid training
were conducted at the Recrea
tion Center and at Gaston Com
munity College, with C. E.
Boney of the college faculty as
instructor.
THE INSTRUCTION, part of
the plant safety department
regular program, is in continu
ing compliance with standards
and requirements of the Federal
Occupational Safety and Health
Act. R. E. Mack, safety super
visor; and S. E. Crawford, plant
training director, coordinate the
safety - instruction program
which will qualify others as
time goes on.
The Bowling Green and Ben-
nettsville units of Firestone Tex
tiles Company also have quali
fied personnel in first aid, and
GASTONIA • Taking written
exam in first aid course were
these representative employees
of a large class in June. From
left: Earlene Fitzgerald, Lois
Whitfield, Betty Phillips, Grace
Christopher, Helen Dial.
additional courses will be con
ducted at these plants.
As of June, these employees
from management, production,
warehouse, offices and service
departments had received First
Air Certificates:
Gastonia • Joe Adams,
Charles Allen, Howard Allen,
• More on Page 2
North Carolina Vocational
Textile School at Belmont
awarded 98 diplomas at its June
22 graduation exercises. Diplo
mas were in the school’s five
areas of speciaUzation; Yam
Manufacturing, Weaving & De
signing, Knitting & Designing,
Mill Maintenance, and Tailoring.
It was the largest graduating
class in the past five years, with
a significant increase in the
number of students completing
the Knitting & Designing course.
During the year, the school
also awarded 55 certificates for
various short courses. Seven
high school students—by attend
ing the entire school year—re
ceived units toward their gradu
ation.
Throughout the years, North
Carolina Vocational Textile
School has been a major force in
the development and progress of
textiles and related industries in
the North Carolina Piedmont
area, where there is one of the
country’s largest concentrations
of diversified textiles manufac
turing.
Many employees of Firestone
Textiles Company’s Gastonia
operation have upgraded their
job skills through study at the
Belmont school.
Yarn Mfg. II:
Stevens
Larry H. Stevens was
awarded a diploma in
Yarn Manufacturing II, at
the June 22 graduation
program of North Carolina
Vocational Textile School.
The mechanic in TO Weav
ing at Firestone, Gastonia,
last summer received the
•'“•diploma for Course I, Yarn
Manufacturing.
At Firestone since 1968,
Stevens first worked in
Fabric Treating, later as
a clerk in Quality Control,
before his present assign
ment.
His studies at NCVTS
have been in evening
classes. His plans are for
additional study at the
school, perhaps in Weav
ing & Designing: and to
attend Gaston College.