*NEWS*XEROX:22% REDUCTION IN TONER ENERGY

[Anonymous]

Chemical Agent Reduces Xerox Printers Energy Use
Xerox’s
E-Agent – or embrittling agent – is a chemical ingredient that is
claimed to reduce the amount of energy needed by certain Xerox printer
toners by up to 22 per cent.Xerox’s E-Agent – or embrittling agent – is
a chemical ingredient that is claimed to reduce the amount of energy
needed by certain Xerox printer toners by up to 22 per cent. As a
result, Xerox believes it is on the way to saving more than 30 million
kilowatt hours of electricity by 2008 – enough power to light more than
24,000 households for a year – and making strides toward its goal to
cut global greenhouse gas emissions. John R Laing, senior vice
president for Xerox Supplies Delivery Unit, said: ‘The manufacturing of
supplies, especially toner manufacturing, is amongst the most
energy-intensive activities within Xerox.With continuing innovations
like E-Agent, we’re helping Xerox not only reduce costs but also
contribute to a cleaner environment.’ Xerox said it is the inventor and
world’s largest manufacturer of toner, producing it at eight locations
worldwide.Toner is the ‘dry ink’ powder fused on paper to make laser
prints and copies.In the conventional toner manufacturing process,
large particles of plastics, colourants and other additives are
mechanically pulverised in to small, relatively uniform toner
particles.It takes about 50 of these toner particles to print a full
stop on a page.According to Xerox, the grinding process is the most
energy-intensive step, consuming up to 40 per cent of the total energy
used for making toner.The grinding happens when toner particles are
blown against each other at high speeds inside a chamber, and the
collisions cause the particles to split apart.Xerox engineers knew that
if the toner particles were easier to grind then the whole process
would be more energy efficient.They discovered that by adding the
embrittling agent to the toner recipe, particles would be more likely
to shatter upon contact and reach the desired particle size more
quickly.Depending on the product family, E-Agent makes the grinding
rate up to twice as fast, it is claimed.The patented E-Agent process
has been successfully implemented in toner for some Xerox products –
such as the Xerox Docuprint and Docutech families of digital presses
and printers – and is in the process of being tested for others.The
company said by 2008, the energy savings associated with Xerox’s use of
E-Agent is expected to avoid over 18,000 metric tonnes of carbon
dioxide emissions – the equivalent of saving the annual emissions from
over 2,500 cars.’We believe this ‘secret agent’ will be one of the
success stories that helps Xerox achieve its greenhouse gas reduction
goals,’ Laing said.Xerox has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions –
the compounds in the atmosphere thought to trigger global climate
change – from its worldwide operations by 10 per cent over a 10-year
period.Xerox’s emissions result from using fossil fuels and buying
electricity for power.To meet its target, Xerox is working to improve
energy efficiency by 30 per cent compared to 2002 levels, throughout
its global operations.Xerox’s pledge is consistent with its
long-standing commitment to the protection of the environment and the
health and safety of its employees, customers and neighbours.The
company has received environmental awards worldwide, and it said it has
pioneered conservation and protective environmental policies well in
advance of governmental regulations.In addition to developments such as
E-Agent, Xerox said it continues to develop more energy-efficient
processes, products and technologies to help both the company and its
customers meet their environmental objectives. 

[Author]

May 25, 2006 at 11:17 AM