On April 28, 2016, five students and one visiting scholar from Dr. Pete Raynor’s Nanotechnology Health & Safety course visited Phoenix Solutions Company’s Hutchinson Test Facility in Hutchinson, MN. Their host was Dr. Gary Hanus, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Phoenix Solutions.

Phoenix Solutions uses plasma heating systems in applications such as supplying intense heat to steel production, precious metal reclamation from catalysts, waste-to-energy conversion, processing of municipal solid waste into synthetic fuels, hazardous and non-hazardous waste remediation, and nanoparticle generation. The students were able to view plasma torches and Phoenix Solutions’ large-scale nanoparticle production apparatus up close and learn about exposure control measures used protect workers during nanoparticle production and packaging.

Development of this blended learning course is part of the Midwest Emerging Technologies Public Health and Safety Training (METPHAST) Program, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program.