Potsdam-based business development agency CITEC Manufacturing & Technology Solutions says it has helped reduce toxic chemical levels and water usage in the Great Lakes region.

CITEC helped in a multi-agency effort led by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) that resulted in toxic chemical reduction and improvements to energy and water usage and operational costs at pulp and paper mills in the New York state Great Lakes watershed.

The four-year program known as “Toxics Reduction and Sustainability in Paper Manufacturing,” is part of a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with many federal agencies.

The Rochester Institute of Technology is also part of the initiative.

The project received $200,000 in funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), with additional costs of more than $63,000 shared by NYSP2I.

NYSP2I partnered with CITEC Manufacturing & Technology Solutions, a North Country not-for-profit economic development organization headquartered in Potsdam.

Led by NYSP2I, the initiative resulted in significant water and wastewater reduction and reuse as well as improved energy efficiencies at four pulp and paper manufacturing companies.

At Omniafiltra LLC in Beaver Falls, an Italian-owned company that specializes in manufacturing specialty paper for niche markets, NYSP2I identified opportunities for wastewater reuse as well as energy reductions.

Omniafiltra was identified for the initiative by CITEC, an economic development business consulting firm aimed at strengthening North Country manufacturing and technology firms through tailored planning, training, implementation projects and connections to resources around the state and nation. CITEC is part of the federal and New York State Manufacturing Extension Partnership network and a NYSP2I partner.

“We see Omniafiltra’s efforts as a promising model for other paper mills facing similar environmental challenges in the North Country and beyond,” said William P. Murray, CITEC executive director. “Mills that can invest in environmental improvements will not only increase their competitiveness, but boost their production—all while reducing their costs.”

Eugene Park, NYSP2I’s assistant director of technical programs and principal investigator on the project, believes the initiative’s results prove that there are “significant opportunities for further competitive positioning of the pulp and paper industry through sustainability initiatives.”

“Our collaborative work with the pulp and paper industry further shows that it is important for the manufacturing sector to understand that it can reduce its environmental footprint by implementing cost-effective technologies and practices that will allow them to preserve the environment, produce high-quality products and give them greater competitive positioning in the marketplace,” Park said.

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute is a partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Rochester Institute of Technology and its Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the State University of New York at Buffalo and Clarkson University, with a statewide reach. NYSP2I also works with the state’s 10 Regional Technology Development Centers to help disseminate data and strategy.