2026 P3 Project Overviews

Major

Chemical Engineering

Program Background

The Nebraska Industrial Training and Assessment consists of a team of student interns that works on different assessments throughout the summer. The program performs 20 assessments per year and is funded by the US Department of Energy. 

Project Description

The pollution prevention project that I worked on during the summer involves various assessment recommendations for different facilities. Some examples of projects I worked on include improving facility lighting, compressed air systems, HCl acid disposal, improving coagulant distribution, and insulation related recommendations. 

Pollution Prevention Benefits

Reduction of natural gas consumption as well as electricity consumption results in less pollutants entering the atmosphere. All recommendations made were made with pollution prevention in mind. Several recommendations require little capital investment while other require significant capital investment including, training, purchasing equipment, and significant changes to operating conditions. 

Results

The pollution prevention benefits and results are summarized in Table 1 below:

Major

Chemical Engineering

Company Background

Smithfield Foods, founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, is a global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. Acquired by WH Group in 2013, the company continues to grow, supplying quality pork products to customers in many countries. In 2025, Smithfield Foods reported $15.5 billion in net sales and a workforce of 34,500 employees globally. The Lincoln plant began operation in 1968, producing a variety of meat products. Today, the facility produces pork products for over 50 food distribution clients nationally.

Project Description

This summer 2026 analysis focused on the reduction of pollutants from the wastewater stream and electrical consumption by the air compressors. Waste sampling campaigns, utility calculations, and subsystem analyses enabled quantifiably beneficial recommendations to be found to solve these primary issues.

Pollution Prevention Benefits

With the goal of reducing pollutants in the plant’s wastewater, research was done to find modern solutions to effectively do so, leading to the selection of the moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) system among other investigations. To address the high demand on the air compressors, analysis showed a benefit to installing air storage tanks to areas of high use. Additionally, a procedure to find and address leaks in the system was implemented to reduce unnecessary loss of air.

Results

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Company Background

Greater Omaha Packing (GOP) is a large beef packing plant located at 3001 L Street in Omaha, Nebraska. GOP has been providing beef products since 1920 and is committed to continuous improvement. The plant processes, on average, 2,400 head of cattle each day and they distribute their products to every US state and across the world to over seventy other countries. GOP is recognized globally as a shining example of innovation and sustainability in the beef industry. 

Project Description

The primary objective of these projects is to aid Greater Omaha’s path towards a more sustainable and energy efficient operation. GOP’s meat packing operation consumes significant quantities of hot water, natural gas, and electricity. Due to recent volatility of electricity cost, combined heat and power (utilizing waste heat from power generation) has become a viable strategy to investigate. CHP could satiate a portion of the hot water demand more efficiently than their current boiler system. In addition, an ammonia heat pump, air curtains and solar panels were analyzed to find potential efficiency improvements. Improving efficiency in any way reduces environmental impacts and operating costs at the same time.

Pollution Prevention Benefits

Pollution Prevention benefits and pollution prevention (P2) recommendations that reduce utility usage, including natural gas and electricity were investigated and given. Additionally, some of the recommendations reduce emissions via displacing utility usage for less efficient processes. Non-quantifiable recommendations were also provided for further consideration. Overall, the recommendations were made to reduce process costs and emissions. A summary of utility usage reduction, cost savings, GHG emission reduction, and simple payback period is listed in Table 1.0-1.

Results

Additional indirect or intangible benefits include:

• Greater resilience against blackouts and power blips

• Increased refrigeration capacity

Major

Environmental Engineering

Company Background

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is focused on protecting environmental and human health. It was established in 2000, and has protected public health and the environment by making efforts to reduce air pollution, reduce recyclable materials in the waste stream, and prevent exposure of hazardous materials. Rock River Manufacturing is a cigarette manufacturer based in Winnebago, Nebraska. It is a subsidiary of Ho-Chunk Trading Group, a division of an economic development corporation owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.

Project Description

In 2026, the Winnebago EPD sough assistance through the Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) Program to determine how to increase the diversion of recycling from their solid waste stream. An audit of organizational and residential waste was carried out, examining current solid waste and recycling practices and compositions. Additionally, an assessment was carried out of Rock River Manufacturing, to determine what possibilities for waste diversion or energy efficiency existed at the facility.

Pollution Prevention Benefits

The resulting pollution prevention benefits for Rock River Manufacturing mainly involve reducing electricity usage of the facility. The pollution prevention benefits for the EPD’s recycling program entail increases in the diversion of solid waste from the landfill.  

Results

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Assessment Background

Over the summer, I went on assessments at six facilities. My first assessment was at Brehmer Manufacturing in Lyons, Nebraska, which manufactures hog feeders, fertilizer tenders, and trailers. I was an analyst on this assessment and I wrote two ARs and two OMs. My ARs were to upgrade the facility lighting in the wash bay, the wash bay prep area, and the office, and to install occupancy sensors in the wash bay, the prep area, and the lunchroom. The two OMs were to upgrade facility lighting and install occupancy sensors in the paint booths. The second assessment was at International Gamco, Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska, which is a pull tab manufacturer. I was an analyst on this assessment and wrote an AR to add weather stripping as interior seals to the dock doors, and I wrote an OM to replace the leaking black ballast roof with a cool white roof. I was an analyst on my third assessment to Seven Sundays in Becker, Minnesota. Seven Sundays is a cereal and granola manufacturer. I wrote an AR to upgrade their current blender to a larger 10HP blender that will allow them to increase production. I wrote an OM for an alternative blender upgrade to a 20HP blender. I wrote a second OM to install an auger conveyor to move the product to the blender instead of their current operations using a forklift. I was safety coordinator on my fourth assessment, which was at Liberty Paper in St. Peter, Minnesota. Liberty paper is a paper mill which turns recycled paper into paper board and occasionally corrugated cardboard. At Liberty Paper, I wrote an AR to upgrade the facility’s office lighting and an OM to consider possible heat recapture strategies. My fifth assessment was to Anchor Ingredient in Hillsboro, North Dakota, where I was the lead analyst. Anchor Ingredients processes various grains and makes blended product for the pet food industry. As the lead student, I researched the facility and possible ARs, prepared the intake and exit meetings, conducted a utility analysis, coordinated communications with the facility, and devised a plan for including changing demand rate calculations that follow the regulations set by the department of energy. At Anchor Ingredients, I wrote an OM to consider upgrading one of the facility’s hullers to a more efficient model, and I wrote an OM to consider upgrading the facility’s grain cleaner to a more efficient model. I was the equipment manager on my sixth assessment, which was to Degelman Industries in Hillsboro, North Dakota. Degelman Industries manufactures agricultural equipment. I wrote a compressed air leak management system AR, an AR to fix the current compressed air leaks, an OM to add cool air intake to the compressors, and an AR to add an insulating blanket to one of the facility’s water heaters. 

Special Project

For my special project, I made a summary document of heat exchangers. It includes a list of data to gather and questions to ask while at the facility. It also includes the major equations to use to find the heat energy savings and how to know what size of heat exchanger to recommend. I added information about types of heat exchanger construction, flow configurations, and a brief overview of important thermodynamics and heat transfer principles so that students can quickly learn the proper technical background needed to understand the technology. I came up with and answered a list of possible other frequently asked questions. I compiled a list of helpful resources so students can find information not included in this document. 

Pollution Prevention Benefits

The pollution prevention benefits form my work with NITAC include decreasing electricity consumption, decreasing water usage and wastewater generation, and decreasing natural gas consumption. The decrease in overall energy consumption has also lead to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Additional benefits form my work include increased worker safety and increased production capacity. 

Results

My work with NITAC will result in the benefits described in Table 1 if all of my recommendations are implemented.

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Company Background

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) operates a major medical device manufacturing facility in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Established in 1960, the plant has grown from a small 13,753 square foot operation into a sprawling 310,000 square foot facility that employs over 550 associates operating around the clock. The site produces billions of blood collection tubes, urine test cups, and related specimen collection devices each year, supplying roughly 85% of these crucial healthcare products used in the U.S. Approximately 80% of products manufactured are plastic injection molded components, with the remainder consisting of glass vessels. BD Broken Bow's facility is a critical contributor to global healthcare supply chains, and its leadership is committed to improving safety, sustainability, and resource efficiency while maintaining its high-quality, high-volume production.

Project Description

During the summer of 2026, four pollution prevention (P2) projects were investigated to reduce BD's operating costs and improve water, sewer, and energy efficiency. These projects focused primarily on the South cooling system, which provides critical cooling for mold presses, high flow production lines, air compressors, vacuums, and a significant portion of the facility's air conditioning.

The projects included:

• Install cooling tower deduct meters to accurately measure and receive credit for water that does not enter the sewer system

• Recapture cooling tower runoff water to reduce unnecessary loss of treated water

• Improve cooling tower makeup water quality to increase cycles of concentration and reduce blowdown frequency

• Install an insulated, hot air exhaust cabinet in the chemistry lab to improve space usage, increase employee comfort, and save electricity on cooling

These projects involved gathering and interpreting on-site data in order to understand how the facility uses water and electricity and to develop a thorough analysis of the South cooling system. This included measuring flow rates with ultrasonic meters, comparing measurements with pump curve results and manufacturer published unit literature, reviewing water, sewer, and electricity billing alongside city ordinances, and evaluating cooling system performance, water treatment quality and behavior, and system interaction with the rest of the facility. These investigations revealed opportunities to reduce water, chemical, and sewer bills while improving the reliability and efficiency of BD's cooling infrastructure. 

Pollution Prevention Benefits

The pollution prevention benefits identified at BD Broken Bow include reductions in water usage, chemical treatment demand, sewer discharge, electricity demand, and greenhouse gas emissions. Cooling tower deduct meters prevent BD from overpaying sewer fees on evaporated and drifted water, while recapturing tower runoff eliminates unnecessary treated water loss. Improving cooling tower makeup water quality increases cycles of concentration, lowering blowdown frequency to reduce water, chemical, and sewer costs. The chemistry lab exhaust cabinet reduces electricity consumption and frees up valuable plant space.

These projects are estimated to reduce BD's annual greenhouse gas emissions by 26.3 MTCO2e and strengthen the efficiency and reliability of the South cooling system. They also provide valuable insight into water usage and cooling system processes, supporting more informed long-term sustainability planning. 

Results

Additional indirect or intangible benefits include:

• Safety of reduced fall hazards from ice near cooling tower and chemistry lab clutter

• Stronger understanding of flows throughout South cooling system

• Visual references for on-boarding, cross training, and communication with vendors

• Improve employee comfort and productivity by improving cooling performance

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Major

Chemical Engineering

Company Background

Nebraska Nitrogen is an anhydrous ammonia fertilizer production facility located in Geneva, Nebraska. The facility produces ammonia used by regional agricultural customers to improve soil fertility and crop yield. The site has a production capacity of approximately 100 tons of anhydrous ammonia per day, approximately 20,000 tons of storage capacity, 33 employees, and continuous operation.

Project Description

Anhydrous ammonia production requires stable operation, reliable utilities, and minimal unplanned downtime. When the plant shuts down unexpectedly, additional natural gas is required during restart to heat the process back to operating conditions before full production can resume. This increases cost, greenhouse gas emissions, and production loss.

The primary focus of this project is reducing weather-related downtime and equipment damage caused by lightning and severe storms. Lightning-related events have affected electrical systems, communication systems, control equipment, and the MSC compressor area. The MSC area is especially important because vibration-related trips on the 4,000 HP Worthington compressor can initiate a plant shutdown. A second pollution prevention opportunity was also identified to reduce steam loss from the E-26 heat exchanger, which has repeated gasket failures and visible leakage.

Pollution Prevention Benefits

The recommendations focus on preventing losses before they occur. Improved lightning protection, grounding, bonding, and surge protection can reduce unplanned shutdowns, equipment damage, restart fuel use, and greenhouse gas emissions while improving worker safety and facility reliability. Reducing E-26 steam leakage can lower boiler load, reduce fuel consumption, and improve process efficiency.

Results

Major

Electrical Engineering

Summer Activities

Joined as a NITAC engineering intern and participated in six assessments over the 2026 summer contributing each time as an analyst and the additional role of being an equipment manager once and safety manager once.

Company Background

Assessed in six facilities spanning the Midwest from Nebraska, Minnesota, and North Dakota in manufacturing industries such as paper printing, paper recycling, farming equipment production, food packing processing, wind turbine production, and municipal wastewater utilities.

Special Project

Coordinated a month-long implementation survey towards previously assessed facilities. Examined the results of 8 out of 15 assessments of the 2025 year.

Assessment Recommendation Results

Made a total of 15 energy efficiency suggestions over the summer consisting of 10 assessment recommendations (ARs) and 5 other measures (OMs) recommended to facilities. The 10 assessment recommendations written up totaled an annual savings potential impact of 207,013 kWh/year, 1,412.3 kW-months/year, 3,692 therms/year, 107.0 MTCO2e/year, and $42,185/year with a capital investment cost of $27,801. Table 1 on the next page shows these quantified potential impacts from the summer’s work.

Results

Major

Civil Engineering

Project Overview

This summer, comprehensive facility assessments were conducted to identify opportunities for energy efficiency, resource conservation, and cost reduction. The findings resulted in a series of targeted Assessment Recommendations (ARs), summarized below:

AR No. 1: Reduce Air Leaks in the Distribution System – Saves 48,810 kWh/year and 22.1 MTCO2e/year, yielding $757 in annual savings with a $500 capital investment (0.6-year payback).

AR No. 2: Compressor Air Setpoint – Saves 6,045 kWh/year and 2.7 MTCO2e/year, yielding $448 in annual savings with a $681 capital investment (1.5-year payback).

AR No. 3: Install a Brine Reclamation System – Saves 23,400 lbs./year of resource, yielding $10,725 in annual savings with a $10,400 capital investment (1.0-year payback).

AR No. 4: Install Deduct Meters on Cooling Tower – Saves 25,378,177 gallons/year of water, yielding $90,322 in annual savings with a $5,410 capital investment (<0.1-year payback).

AR No. 5: Upgrade Facility Lighting – Saves 225,172 kWh/year, yielding $4,279 in annual savings with a $600 capital investment (0.1-year payback).

AR No. 6: Install Occupancy Sensors – Saves 25,295 kWh/year and 10.6 MTCO2e/year, yielding $1,518 in annual savings with a $1,581 capital investment (1.0-year payback).

AR No. 7: Install a Brine Reclamation System (Secondary) – Saves 25,520 lbs./year of resource, yielding $14,036 in annual savings with a $5,200 capital investment (0.3-year payback).

AR No. 8: Replace Dock Seals – Yields $19,000 in annual savings with a $71,896 capital investment (3.7-year payback).

AR No. 9: Hybrid System – Saves 1,400 MMBtu/year and 74.3 MTCO2e/year, yielding $2,400 in annual savings with a $48,760 capital investment.

Special Projects

• Condensing Boiler Special Project: Evaluated and integrated a high-efficiency condensing boiler system to optimize thermal energy generation and recovery across facility operations.

Major

Architectural Engineering

Project Overview

This summer, I worked as a graduate intern with the Nebraska Industrial Training and Assessment Center (NITAC), conducting on-site assessments at industrial facilities across Nebraska, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The primary objective of these assessments was to identify practical opportunities to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, enhance worker safety and system reliability, and prevent pollution. I participated in multiple site visits, including: 

• Camaco, Columbus, Nebraska

• Hughes Brothers, Seward, Nebraska

• Liberty Paper, Becker, Minnesota

• Anchor Ingredients, Fargo, North Dakota

• Nokota Packers, Buxton, North Dakota 

My responsibilities throughout the assessment process included collecting field measurements, interviewing facility personnel, reviewing utility and operating data, analyzing industrial systems, performing engineering and economic calculations, and preparing technical Assessment Recommendations (ARs). This work required evaluating both the technical feasibility and financial impact of proposed improvements and clearly communicating the results through formal assessment reports. 

I also served as the lead student for the Liberty Paper assessment. In this role, I helped coordinate the assessment team before, during, and after the site visit, ensured that the major facility systems were adequately investigated, communicated with facility personnel to gather necessary technical and operational information, compiled facility background and utility data, coordinated the development of recommendations, and prepared the final lead portions of the assessment report. 

Over the course of the summer, I developed ARs addressing energy efficiency, operating cost reduction, worker safety, and equipment reliability. Collectively, the recommendations I worked on are estimated to provide annual savings of 919,121 kWh of electricity, 3,485 MMBtu of energy, 601.2 MTCO₂e of greenhouse gas emissions, and $1,479,922 in utility and operating costs, as shown in Table 1-1. 

The Assessment Recommendations I developed included:

1. Reduce Air Leaks in the Distribution System

2. Reduce the Operating Temperature of Dry-off Oven

3. Install PTFE Coated Roll-Out Covers on Sulfuric Acid Tanks

4. Replace Existing Box Maker with Automatic Case Erector

5. Install a Refrigerant Dehumidification System for the Blend Line Mill

In addition to my assessment and recommendation work, I completed a special project focused on industrial heat pump feasibility and the development of a screening guideline for NITAC assessments. The project examined how industrial heat pumps can be evaluated as a potential energy-efficiency measure and considered the technical factors that determine whether a facility or process is a suitable candidate. The goal was to support future NITAC assessments by providing a more systematic approach for identifying promising industrial heat-pump applications. 

Overall, my experience with NITAC provided valuable hands-on exposure to industrial energy auditing and energy-efficiency engineering. I strengthened my skills in field data collection, engineering calculations, technical and economic analysis, professional communication, and technical report writing. 

Major

Environmental Engineering

Assessment Summary

Throughout the summer I went on 6 assessments in three different states. My first assessment was at the Nebraska City Wastewater Treatment Plant, where I worked on two ARs. My recommendations were to upgrade the facility lighting to LEDs and install an occupancy sensor in the hallway. My second assessment was at Hughes Brothers in Seward Nebraska, here I worked on one AR and one OM. The AR was to upgrade the facility lighting to LEDs and the OM was to upgrade their gas powered forging ovens to an induction system. My third assessment was at Instinct Pet Foods in Lincoln Nebraska. Here I worked on two ARs and one OM for the main report as well as one AR for a separate EPA report focused on demand management. My first two ARs were to install occupancy sensors throughout the facility and to shift their forklift charging schedule to avoid the peak demand. The OM I worked on was installing capacitor banks to increase their power factor. The AR I worked on for the EPA report was to combine the three electricity meters on their west building to one electricity meter. The fourth assessment I went on was at Liberty Paper in Becker Minnesota. Here I worked on one AR and one OM. The AR was to install a deduct meter on their lawn irrigation system and the OM was to upgrade their remaining dryer cans. The fifth assessment I went on was Anchor Ingredients in Hillsboro North Dakota. Here I worked on two ARs, one to install an occupancy sensor in their main conference room and the other to upgrade their remaining belt conveyors to drag conveyors. The sixth and final assessment I went on this summer was at Degelman Industries where I was the lead student. Here I worked on gathering the general process flow of the facility and helped my peers gather ARs. This facility also had concerns regarding demand, this allowed me to perform another demand analysis. 

Special Project Summary

My special project consisted of analyzing the approach of the common AR recommending the upgrade of smooth V-Belts to Cogged V-Belts. This included researching the efficiency percentage upgrade and comparing it with the current value used to improve our estimated savings. This goal of this research was to gather information on not only the value of the efficiency increase but also the why behind these savings. Through this research it was also found that there is also a lifespan improvement when making the switch to cogged belts. This information was then gathered and neatly organized in a written summary for future students to reference. I then went a step further and made an entire AR template that implemented the research discussed in the written summary, as well as an easy to follow excel sheet that can be used quickly for exit slide presentations and AR calculations. The goal of this project was to provide documents that future students could reference for information on cogged belts as well as improve the recommendation as a whole to provide more accurate results for the client. 

Pollution Prevention Benefits

The pollution prevention benefits from my work with NITAC include decreasing electricity consumption, decreasing electrical demand, decreasing natural gas and steam usage and decreasing wastewater production. All of these factors contribute to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, worker safety increased, as well as production capacity because of my work.

Results

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Summer Activities

This summer, I participated in six assessments, taking on different roles on each. I served as the safety officer for Brehmer Manufacturing and Anchor Ingredients, equipment coordinator for International Gamco Inc. and Seven Sundays, analyst for JBS Foods, and lead analyst for Instinct Pet Food. As the lead analyst for Instinct Pet Food, I completed a utility analysis, prepared presentations for the facility, organized transportation, wrote and organized the final report, and served as the primary point of contact for the facility.

Company Background

I participated in assessments at six different manufacturing and processing facilities. Brehmer Manufacturing in Lyons, Nebraska, manufactures agricultural equipment, including fertilizer tenders and hog feeders. International Gamco Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska, manufactures pull-tab tickets for charitable gaming, lottery, and promotional markets. Instinct Pet Food in Lincoln, Nebraska, manufactures premium raw and freeze-dried pet food products. Its operations include ingredient batching, meat grinding, mixing, High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP), freezing, freeze-drying, forming, and packaging. Seven Sundays in St. Peter, Minnesota, manufactures cereal, muesli, and other breakfast products. JBS Foods in Council Bluffs, Iowa, processes a variety of meat products such as beef and pork for foodservice markets. Anchor Ingredients in Fargo, North Dakota, processes grains, legumes, and other food ingredients for human consumption, including peas, lentils, and beans.

Recommendations

Across the six assessments, I wrote eight Assessment Recommendations (ARs) and two Other Measures (OMs). The recommendations addressed opportunities related to compressed air systems, boiler efficiency, facility insulation and sealing, utility tax savings, compressed gas storage, and motor efficiency. I also evaluated two additional recommendations for the Instinct Pet Food EPA report related to electrical demand management and renewable energy. Collectively, these recommendations were developed to improve facility efficiency, reduce operating costs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. 

Special Project

In addition to my assessment work, I completed a special project focused on evaluating waste heat boilers (WHBs) for use in future NITAC assessments. The project included a technology summary, field data collection guidance, and a calculator for estimating steam generation, natural gas savings, cost savings, and payback period.

Results

Table 1.1 summarizes the annual resource savings, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and cost savings. It also covers implementation costs and simple payback periods associated with the eight ARs completed during the summer.

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to provide a summary of the work I have completed and made progress over the summer on assessments as an analyst and lead student. This includes assessment recommendations at various stages of completion, work specific to lead student requirements, a special project, and discussion of impact. 

Facility Information

This summer I was part of 7 assessments in the NITAC program, including one assessment which I was the lead analyst for. These include Brehmer Manufacturing in Lyons, NE (Analyst), Hughes Brothers in Seward, NE (Analyst), Seven Sundays in St. Peter, MN (Analyst), Liberty Paper in Becker, MN (Equipment Manager), JBS in Council Bluffs, IA (Analyst), Nokota Packers in Buxton, ND (Safety Coordinator), and GE Vernova in Grand Forks, ND (Lead Analyst).

Pollution Prevention Benefits

Recommendations throughout the summer provided both quantifiable and unquantifiable benefits to the facilities assessed. These include significant cost savings, reduction in greenhouse gas emission, and overall worker safety and comfort. The following table summarizes potential impacts that will result if all my recommendations are implemented. Note that recommendations with GHG reduction and no energy savings get their GHG reduction from other energy savings (not electricity).

Special Project

My special project for the summer was designing and constructing a safety harness for the Fluke ii900 compressor air leak detector. This is a valuable piece of equipment that is instrumental for NITAC assessments, so additional layers of physical protection are extremely beneficial.