A groundbreaking partnership between two forward-thinking companies has contributed to cleaner air for a challenged region — the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The results of this partnership have earned it the Texas Environmental Excellence Award, the state's highest environmental honor. The partnership of Texas Instruments and Matros Technologies Incorporated is one of 12 winners statewide to be recognized with an award, to be presented by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on April 30 in Austin at its annual banquet.

Texas Instruments in Dallas and Matros Technologies found new ways to reduce air emissions from volatile organic compounds while also reducing fuel use and the resulting emissions of nitrogen oxides. VOCs and nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, an air pollutant with potentially harmful respiratory effects.

In 2005, TI asked St. Louis-based Matros Technologies to help solve a problem that has plagued the industry since regenerative thermal oxidizers went into use to reduce air pollution — the formation of silica. The silica plugs up the oxidizers. When that happens, the oxidizers can't perform the critical task of reducing VOCs. Engineers from Matros and TI devised an industry-specific catalyst that solved the problem. Since the Dallas-Fort Worth area is not in attainment with national ambient air quality standards, innovative measures like this one are welcome.

Installation of this new catalyst makes it possible to oxidize VOCs at lower temperatures, reducing TI's fuel costs by almost $900,000 a year. More importantly, the new, efficient process cut nitrogen oxides emissions by 45 percent and eliminated the disposal of 136 tons of packing material every four years. Reduced maintenance downtime also reduces VOC emissions.

The solution has been such a success that TI recently reported its findings at the International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative with the hope that similar facilities around the world will turn to this technology. The performance to date drives home the point that environmental stewardship is not only good for the planet; its good for the bottom line as well.

The TCEQ annually presents the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards to environmental projects across the state that demonstrate excellence in resource conservation, waste reduction and pollution prevention. The award-winning programs reflect the goals of the TCEQ: to protect Texas human and natural resources and ensure clean air, clean water and the safe management of waste. For more information, or to submit an application for next year's awards, visit www.teea.org.