April 03, 2008

Contact: Amy Hewes
College of Engineering
805-756-6402

Cal Poly Engineering Alum Wins International Energy Globe Award

A panel of international jurors has awarded the prestigious Energy Globe award to Cal Poly mechanical engineering alumnus Frank J. Levy and his colleague Sergio Dell'Orco for developing Post Consumer Carpet (PCC) Processing Technologies.

PCC was selected out of 853 projects from 109 countries as the United States winner and one of three winners in the international Earth category.

Used carpet poses a major challenge for the United States, as more than five billion pounds of non-biodegradable carpet are dumped into the nation's landfills each year. "If incinerated," said Levy, "the carpets will release toxic chemicals. If accumulated, they never will disintegrate, posing terrible problems for future generations."

PCC developed an innovative and sustainable solution to this problem. The equipment separates petrochemical components that make up the carpet, which enables manufacturers to recycle the components, save oil and reduce the impact on landfills. Each line of PCC machinery can reclaim up to 30 million pounds of carpet annually.

PCC has licensed its technology to Interface, Inc., the world's third-largest carpet manufacturer. The partnership aims to remove any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020. The first line of PCC machinery has been running in LaGrange, Ga. since Sept. 2007, with additional lines planned in the near future.

Initiated in 1999, the World Energy Globe Award honors projects that make economical use of resources and employ alternative energy sources. The 2007 winners will be presented May 26, 2008 in Brussels, Belgium. Categories include Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth. Event organizers expect the event will be broadcast worldwide to reach 2.5 billion households.

###