Dürr Systems Inc. and BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC have been named joint recipients of the Energy Partner of the Year award presented by the EPA. The honor was bestowed on both companies in recognition of a project implemented at the BMW facility in Spartanburg, S.C. The facility uses methane collected from biodegradable municipal waste as energy for paint shop operation.

The award was presented on Jan. 23, 2007, at the 10th Annual Landfill Methane Outreach Program conference in Baltimore, organized by the EPA. "The usage of renewable energy significantly reduces the economic and ecological footprint of a paint shop," said Gordon Harbison, a certified energy manager and leader of the Dürr project development team. "We will continue to provide innovative solutions to save energy in the production process."

See World's First Green Automotive Paint Shop on page 48 of the February 2007 issue of Pollution Engineering or in the online archives.