April 2025

March 2025

Inside the Newsletter:

Intern Interview | Reducing Hazardous Waste | Water Conservation Opportunities | Events | Funding Opportunities

Q & A with a Former MnTAP Intern: Madison Best

headshot of Madison BestMnTAP staff have been fortunate to reconnect with several former MnTAP interns to talk about their current work, their past MnTAP internship’s influence on their career path, and how other companies could benefit from hiring MnTAP interns. Last month, we published a conversation we had with Olajumobi Akeeb (read her newsletter article). This month, we are excited to feature Madison Best, who is currently working as a Manufacturing Engineer for Andersen Windows. In 2020, Madison completed an internship on water conservation at Old Dutch Foods, and you can view her executive summary.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Could you briefly describe your current role?

I’m currently working at Andersen Windows as a Manufacturing Engineer, and I’ve been with the company for about two months. Before that, I was working as a Manufacturing Engineer for Post Consumer Brands, the cereal manufacturer. I was with them for about three and a half years and started right after I graduated from the University of Minnesota. Both roles have been very hands-on and consist mostly of helping with production line troubleshooting and working on long-term equipment reliability projects.

Thinking back on your MnTAP projects, could you briefly describe what you worked on?

My 2020 internship was at Old Dutch Foods, which manufactures potato chips and other snacks like corn chips, in Roseville, Minnesota. While there I was tasked with water conservation. They had some specific goals to lower their well water consumption each month. During the internship, I identified several projects at different scales to reduce their yearly water consumption. Some of the small-scale projects included switching to lower-flow spray nozzles for rinsing potatoes when they first come into the factory and adding a locking valve on the freshwater supply to use less water when rinsing potatoes before they go into the fryer. Some larger scale projects researched opportunities for water recycling throughout the facility. This water was difficult to recycle because it gets so starchy from washing potatoes. Therefore, I looked into different methods for removing the starch from the water so that the company could increase the amount of water they could recycle.

What skills did you learn or hone while working on your MnTAP project?

There were many skills I learned from the internship that very much helped me in my next career steps. It was a great opportunity to learn about the importance of taking initiative and being more independent as an engineer in the workplace. I had some previous work experiences, but I saw this one as a great opportunity to take on a more independent role. This included asking more questions and asking for less direction. For instance, I learned more about Old Dutch’s company structure to better determine who to connect with and make progress on my projects. It was like the role of a contractor or a MnTAP staff consultant.

The first steps in a project like this can be as simple as learning their manufacturing process, and there are a few simple recommendations to help get me started in finding potential savings.

Once I fleshed those ideas out, it became my responsibility to ask, “OK, what are the next steps? How can I dig further into this?” Because the folks there weren’t necessarily experts in water conservation and that was my main responsibility.  Learning how to get to those next steps on my own or with minimal assistance really helped build my confidence.

I had to take the initiative, look for new opportunities, and not expect to be handed a project that spelled out steps one through ten. They would think of step one through three, and I had to figure out the rest, including going to people to ask more questions and get answers. Taking initiative and being independent were what I gained most from this MnTAP internship.

What, if any, values or commitments do you still practice from your MnTAP internship?

I’d say the two main ones are probably water conservation and energy efficiency improvements, such as working with steam and compressed air systems.

One of the projects I took on at my previous job was replacing a failing pump that was used for pumping sugar slurry. I identified a new model to replace it, and this new pump was the same type (i.e., rotary positive displacement) as one that was already being used throughout the plant. We had a lot of them already.

This pump type needs a water source to keep the seals from generating excess heat. It took almost a million gallons of water a year per pump to flush water through and keep it cool. When I installed this new pump, I identified a closed loop water recycle system. A small tank next to the pump could act as a heat sink, and it only needed to be filled and then drained maybe once a year versus continuously running every day. For any new water-intensive equipment, it is important to find solutions to reduce water use before that new piece is installed.

How did participating in a MnTAP internship shape your understanding of what kind of career you eventually pursued?

The MnTAP internship really opened my eyes to the possibility of working in manufacturing. That’s something that I did not really have a ton of exposure to before or during college. I had one other internship, but it was more of a research and development (R&D) lab setting. This was the first time I had worked in a factory and specifically food manufacturing. This MnTAP internship really drove me to seek out similar roles after graduation, and it helped me determine what type of work environment I could really thrive in and be excited to go to work each day. Even today, I continue to work in manufacturing.

Another thing was the large scale of problem solving I was exposed to. Being able to see a whole new scale of problems I could go after and their technical complexity. Some of these pieces of machinery took up the size of an entire room or a whole building. Getting to work on such a large scale meant acquiring the knowledge to break that down into components and learning how each part worked together. I found that interesting and definitely something I wanted to continue working on in the future.

The next thing I learned was the personal connection side of engineering. This comes through with manufacturing a lot, in my opinion, more so than other types of roles. During my internship, my on-site supervisor encouraged me to talk to people on the floor when I was testing things out and see how they would respond to it. And I definitely got some positive and some negative reactions too. I learned how to deal with some reactions like, “Well, I’m not sure about turning the water down. Why would I do that?”

Having to deal with that as a very new engineer was intimidating in the beginning, but it became a valuable experience that taught me how to respond. Those are situations that I’m now encountering almost every day in my career. Gaining early exposure meant that even in difficult situations, I could at the same time still find it very rewarding. It didn’t scare me away. It drew me to roles where I can connect with people to make their jobs easier and their lives better through my work every day. I find that really rewarding and that’s something that started during my MnTAP internship.

Even before college, I knew I was passionate about sustainability and improving the environment, and those values drew me to MnTAP.  Through MnTAP, I was able to see that there are a lot of ways that I could practice those values through engineering. I was drawn to engineering, but didn’t really necessarily know how that would look in real life or how that would turn out as a career. Seeing how in real life I could lower the environmental impact of manufacturing and be able to apply my skills and passions was very impactful, especially learning how plausible that career path was and how much I enjoyed it. The MnTAP internship was a valuable experience in helping me see that career opportunity in real life.

The last one is related to what I brought up in the beginning about being exposed to manufacturing. The technical or mechanical aspects of manufacturing weren’t something I learned in school. For example, I had never heard what a steam trap was in college until I went through the MnTAP orientation. And this came around full circle last year. I did a project at Post where we installed electronic monitors on steam traps throughout the entire facility to decrease the turnaround time for repair and launched a whole reliability program. Learning what a steam trap was at MnTAP and then years later being able to go all the way there in installing them shows how much the MnTAP internship has been a driver in encouraging me to pursue my personal interests and career passions. Realizing that these could go together.

How, if at all, did your MnTAP advisor support you in adapting to your workplace?

The coaching was super helpful and important to keep me both focused and motivated week to week. I’d talk to my mentor about how I’ve been walking around the facility and am stuck. That I can’t find any more areas for improvement. And then, he would walk with me and right off the bat, he’ll point to like 10 new opportunities that I would have never thought of. He encouraged me to keep searching for opportunities that didn’t always come right away.

Given your experiences, how would hiring a MnTAP intern benefit your current team or other professionals working in your area?

That’s a good question. One is bringing a fresh perspective. Because there are a lot of things I do that repeat over weeks or months, and these are often short-term activities. While I may have some ideas of potential improvements, I spend a lot of time on the more routine or mundane tasks that are my normal job responsibilities. Having an intern brings a fresh perspective. Someone’s mind who can be completely focused on this one initiative. Like I mentioned before, an intern that can be dedicated to having that curiosity and technical focus to really make an impact. That fresh perspective is helpful.

A lot of times, it just comes down to the fact that we always have so many ideas. There are so many opportunities but not enough people to work on all of them. We always have a super long project list. Just having someone to chase those things down and work on them can be super, super impactful.

At my company, and looking back to the roles I’ve had, my coworkers eventually get to know me as the one who cares about how much energy and compressed air we’re using. The person who insists we can’t throw anything away. All jokes aside, even an intern coming in with that sustainability mindset and asking those questions can really change a culture and employees’ mindset. Obviously, that doesn’t happen in three months all the time. But I think having that perspective focused on something that maybe people aren’t really used to can have an impact outside of the intern’s three months at the company.

Conclusion

The MnTAP Intern Program places undergraduate and graduate students at companies over a summer to gain first-hand experience investigating water conservation, energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and sustainable chemical solutions. Companies benefit from interns spending up to 500 hours to come up with recommendations, and a wide variety of sectors – such as government, health care systems, metal finishing and other manufacturing, and food processing – have hosted interns that also receive guidance from a MnTAP engineer or scientist. At the end, MnTAP interns present their findings to company staff, compile their recommendations in a comprehensive report, present an abridged version of their report to the public at the MnTAP Symposium, and write up their recommendations in a two-page summary published in Solutions.

If you are a student interested in joining the 367 interns who have participated in this program since 1985, learn more about the program from the Student Information page. If you are a company/organization interested in acquiring the help and expertise of a MnTAP intern, the Business Information page will provide you with helpful background. One important thing to note is that this program is also accessible for smaller to medium-sized businesses with an affordable cost share (i.e., $4,000) and realistic expectations (e.g., 3 to 5 hours of supervision for the first 2 to 3 weeks of onboarding that typically drops down to 1 to 3 hours per week for the rest of the project) to host an intern.

For questions on all aspects of the MnTAP Intern Program, please email or call Matt Domski.

Contact:

Matt Domski – Intern Program Manager
  mdomski@umn.edu
612-624-5119

Showcase Your Success in Reducing Hazardous Waste with MnTAP

man in white haz mat suit with goggles and face mask holding hazardous waste signMnTAP is renewing its focus on industrial hazardous waste reduction by developing case studies highlighting companies that have successfully lowered their use of toxic chemicals. These case studies will serve as practical examples for other businesses and offer strategies to lower hazardous chemical usage. MnTAP will use these case studies to launch a planned special project aimed at promoting safer chemical alternatives across industries.

A MnTAP case study is an opportunity to showcase your company’s leadership in sustainability and innovation. By sharing your achievements, you can demonstrate environmental stewardship; highlight cost savings from reducing hazardous chemical use; and inspire other businesses to adopt safer, more sustainable practices.

MnTAP recently developed a case study with Crystal Cabinets, a family-owned custom cabinet manufacturer in Princeton, Minnesota. Crystal Cabinets had been using ethylbenzene, a toxic solvent in wood finishes. By partnering with Ceramic Industrial Coatings, Crystal Cabinets switched to AcromaPro, or a new coating system with a lower ethylbenzene content that also improves the paint finish quality. This new product helps the company stay below regulatory reporting thresholds, reduces waste management tasks and hazardous chemical usage, and improves air quality.

As a result, the company has cut its ethylbenzene emissions from over 12,000 pounds annually to below the 10,000-pound reporting threshold. Additionally, Crystal Cabinets improved its cleaning process by switching to lower-VOC (volatile organic compound) solvents, eliminating methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and reducing toluene use. This initiative supports Crystal Cabinets’ commitment to environmental stewardship while maintaining high product standards. Read the complete case study.

Participating in a MnTAP case study requires only a single site visit to discuss your project and gather information along with occasional follow-ups via email or brief online meetings to finalize details. All MnTAP technical assistance is confidential. Case studies can be tailored to protect proprietary information while sharing key takeaways that benefit other businesses.

If your company has reduced its toxic chemical usage and would like to be featured, MnTAP is looking for 2 to 4 businesses to showcase in upcoming case studies. This is an excellent opportunity to gain visibility and contribute to a movement toward safer, more sustainable industrial practices. Email ashwin@umn.edu if you are interested.

Contact

Ashwin Nambudiripad – Associate Engineer
ashwin@umn.edu
612-624-4653

Framework for Revealing Water Conservation Opportunities: Review, Reduce, Resolve Leaks, & Reuse

3 picture collage top pic wasteswater flowing from 2 pipes low left pic of leak in connection low right industrial water pipes with control wheelIn last month’s Semi-automation in Rinsing and Water Treatment article, MnTAP went over two benefits companies stand to gain from implementing water conservation strategies, namely saving money on their water and energy bills and ensuring there will be enough water in the future for their communities and themselves. This article will suggest a framework for manufacturers interested in continually identifying water conservation opportunities.

Frameworks can make it easier for busy individuals to easily recall and systematically plan for future actions that align with their values, such as searching for ways to cut water use in operations. After analyzing water conservation strategies that MnTAP staff and interns have recommended over time, four overarching categories emerge that are captured in table 1.

Table 1. Framework for identifying opportunities to conserve water

Review

Before any other steps can be taken, it is important to first review or evaluate how much water a facility uses.  Two strategies to consider are conducting a water audit and measuring water flow rates.

  • Water Audit or Mapping Exercise: A water audit is a comprehensive analysis of water usage and efficiency within a facility or system. This article will dive deeper into one example of a water audit, which is the water Gemba walk. Gemba in Japanese means the “real place” or where work occurs. Teams of five to seven staff members and/or consultants representing a variety of perspectives (e.g., employees and supervisors that regularly work on the floor along with new employees or consultants with experiences from other facilities) walk through key areas where water is used. Water Gemba walks help companies understand how water is used and flows through the facility.
    • Key goals of water Gemba walks include helping businesses understand what the water footprint is for each process step, where the water-consuming equipment and high-use areas are, and where the current meter locations are. Water Gemba walks also reveal where water is being lost (e.g., leaks and evaporative losses); how efficiently water is being treated and then integrated into the product, if relevant; and where water pressure might be too high leading to potential leaks. Finally, noting what water quality is required for each stage of production can help the team later brainstorm new opportunities to reuse and recirculate water.
    • Key areas to observe while taking a water Gemba walk include locations for processing and equipment use; cooling and heating; sanitary uses (e.g., toilets and wash-up basins); and kitchens. For a full list of specific locations, table 4 from the EPA’s Lean & Water Toolkit: Chapter 3 provides a comprehensive breakdown of the previous categories and other suggestions of facility operations to observe. Taking water Gemba walks during sanitation shifts and process changeovers can also be useful in seeing how water is typically used during these events.
  • Quantify water flow rates and usage: This involves measuring where water is used throughout the facility, including each stage of production. Water flow meters are extremely helpful in taking these measurements over extended periods of time and can identify instances of peak use and excess consumption. They can be helpful in confirming whether or not water is being used during breaks and non-operating times. Though flow meters are recommended, capturing the full picture of water use at a facility may require some manual measurements. A simple bucket and stopwatch method is great for these measurements and can be helpful when flow meters are cost-prohibitive as well.

Reduce

The review stage might reveal changes to current processes that can be made without hindering performance or business operations. These changes might include switching or modifying equipment and/or raising employees’ awareness of conservation and making it easier for them to conserve water day-to-day.

The following list includes some examples that companies might consider for equipment changes:

  • Clean-in-place (CIP) systems: CIPs replace dismantling equipment for cleaning and make it easier to carefully control water and chemical use. Switching from a manual to a fully automated CIP usually makes a CIP even more effective and consistent.
  • Low-flow nozzles: Switching from regular hoses to hoses with nozzles designed to deliver a smaller amount of water per unit area but at higher pressure can reduce water needed to achieve specified cleanliness. Low-flow nozzles work by sending water through a fine screen, and thus, increasing the stream’s force. Aerators for kitchen and bathroom faucets operate similarly.
  • Prevent water from flowing from nozzles when not needed: Constantly running nozzles, including hand washing sprouts, can lead to substantial water loss. For cleaning, sanitation, and handwashing at factory facilities, consider switching to automatic shutoff nozzles or installing food pedals at hand washing units to ensure water is flowing only when needed.
    • Last month’s Semi-automation in Rinsing and Water Treatment article also goes over opportunities to incorporate semi-automation, software, and valves for adding water, adjusting water flow, or turning water off promptly or once a predetermined water quality is achieved (e.g., a conductivity control testing the purity of rinse water paired with a solenoid valve).

The following list includes some examples that companies might follow to increase opportunities for employees to conserve water:

  • Host operator training courses: Employees could benefit from training programs on how to efficiently use water for their tasks and in their work areas. Here are two examples. For manufacturing, employees should be instructed to carry out dry cleanup (e.g., scraping, emptying pre-placed strainers, sweeping, shoveling, and squeegeeing) before rinsing down areas with hoses to reduce the amount that needs to be washed away with water. When handling nozzles, operators should use the correct angle and spacing to maximize water hitting the intended target.
  • Remind employees to turn off water when not needed: Water is sometimes left running after shutdown or during employee breaks. Employees could benefit from reminders, such as a water shut down checklist to go through daily or signs that are posted at work areas and translated into all the primary languages used.
  • Increase employees’ engagement and leadership in water conservation strategies: The best ways to inspire and empower employees to make changes include associating positive emotions with new processes and the outcome of conserving water; involving employees in the design of curriculums and procedures as much as possible; and framing water conservation as a stimulating challenge for employees. Employees that are brought in to help with these processes might also reveal new opportunities to save water gained from their day-to-day experience working on these tasks.

Resolve Leaks

The review process might reveal water leaks, or unintentional losses due to equipment issues. Water leaks, and how frequently they recur, all lead to water loss, and the task of continually finding leaks can be forgotten in the day-to-day rush. It is helpful to have a preventive maintenance program that includes a checklist of all potential sources of leaks (e.g., valves, hoses, nozzles, or tanks). Staff can then use these checklists to perform at least weekly inspections to repair any leaks they see and keep up with equipment maintenance. As old production equipment breaks down or needs to be replaced, these could be opportunities to upgrade to newer models that are better designed to prevent leaks. Identifying and fixing leaks early can increase efficiency and save money from water loss.

Reuse

Reusing by recirculating means determining how water that has been used once can be put into action again (e.g., for wash systems or boiler make-up water, or to be reheated to cook food products or make steam). This cuts down on how much water companies need to draw from their private wells and/or purchase from local municipalities. The review stage would identify which production stages involve water that can be recycled, and what equipment or investment is needed to improve that water’s quality so it can be reused elsewhere.

  • Rerouting wastewater from one production step to another. Instead of discharging wastewater, that wastewater can be funneled to be used at another stage of production. This wastewater might need its temperature adjusted through a heat exchanger or have its contaminants filtered out through a reverse osmosis system, water softening, or carbon filtration before reusing.
  • Reusing steam condensate. For facilities using steam, steam condensate can be captured through a condensate pump and return piping. This collected water can then be later turned back into steam again.
  • Converting to a closed-loop cooling water system: Single-pass cooling systems send water to the drain after each use and thus require constant replenishment of water. By converting it to a closed-loop cooling system, water can recirculate through a loop to continually cool equipment for weeks or even years before that water needs to be discharged.

This article proposes a framework of review, reduce, resolve leaks, and reuse for manufacturers to more easily recall water conservation opportunities when considering new ways to optimize current processes. However, businesses and companies should not feel as if they must take this on all on their own. This framework and the water conservation strategies outlined in this article are what MnTAP staff work on every day, and MnTAP staff are available to carry out site visits and consultations. All MnTAP staff services are confidential, at no cost, and non-regulatory. When more in-depth assistance is needed, the MnTAP intern program provides extended, hands-on assistance for a nominal cost-share.

Author:

Jocelyn Leung- Communications Specialist

Contact

Matt Domski – Waste Prevention Specialist/Intern Program Manager
  mdomski@umn.edu
612-624-5119

Events

Introducing Minnesota’s 24-Hour Nitrate Network

April 25, 2025, 10:00-11:00 AM
Virtual, No-cost

MPCA experts will share details of the 24-Hour Nitrate Network and answer questions on its implementation schedule, technology and equipment used, and monitoring locations.  This collaborative effort among state and federal agencies provides free, publicly accessible water quality data from areas in Minnesota with historically high nitrate concentrations. Register for the April 25 event.

Consultants’ Day

April 29, 2025, 8:15-4:00 PM
Hybrid, No-Cost

The MPCA Remediation Division Consultants’ Day events provide guidance on a number of topics (e.g., vapor intrusion guidance, brownfield application process, or petroleum report process) to improve environmental investigations and corrective actions at contaminated sites. This year’s event will be hybrid, allowing for online and in-person participation. Due to space restrictions, MPCA is asking only 2 people from each firm/organization to attend in person. There are no limits on how many people can attend virtually. Reach out with any questions to Sarah Larsen: sarah.larsen@state.mn.us. View the agenda.

Funding Opportunities