New York State Pollution Prevention Institute now up and running

by Rebecca Walker — August 29, 2008—The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute opened its doors to the public recently, offering a peek at the center that will help businesses reduce toxic chemical use and improve green manufacturing.

The institute, known as NYSP2I, is headquartered at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) but draws from a network of universities and research centers from around the state to operate 16 research and development test beds.

Polymer processing and testing will take place at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, environmental engineering of nanomaterials and printing applications at RIT, green processing and biofuels at Clarkson University, and sustainable chemistry processes at the University of Buffalo.

Empire State Development awarded RIT a $2 million grant to establish and operate the institute. Specific areas of focus include alternative cleaning technologies, remanufacturing and recycling process development, sustainable design and green product assessment. The institute takes a two-pronged approach: direct technical assistance for companies and sharing information and best practices.

For more information, see the Web site.