United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Industrial Environmental Researc
Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA-600/S2-81-009 Feb. 1981
Project Summary
Assessment of Organic
Emissions in the Flexible
Packaging Industry
Inks, coatings, and adhesives used
in the manufacturing of flexible pack-
aging materials must be dried before
the product can be stored or used fur-
ther. This step is accomplished in the
drying portion of the process machine,
where heated air is blown over the web
of material as it passes through the
machine. It is the discharge of solvents
removed by the heated air during the
drying process that gives rise to emis-
sions of volatile organic compounds
(VOC).
The purpose of this project was to
study emissions of volatile organic com-
pounds by the flexible packaging indus-
try and to determine the effectiveness
and cost of available means for control-
ling these emissions. The Flexible Pack-
aging Association (FPA) cooperated in
the program by conducting a survey to
provide current data about the flexible
packaging industry, particularly with
regard to the solvents used and experi-
ence with control systems
A questionnaire was designed to pro-
vide data on solvent use and emissions
from the flexible packaging industry.
Of the 1,136 questionnaires mailed out,
13.6% resulted in responses that have
been incorporated into this analysis.
This survey covers responses from 154
flexible packaging plants, containing
799 prime machines.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's industrial Environ-
mental Research Laboratory, Cincin-
nati, OH, to announce key findings of
the research project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the
same title (see Project Report order-
ing information at back).
Survey Results
The largest annual solvent use reported
in this survey was for a two-plant com-
plex using almost 9 million Ib/yr; the
smallest plant use was less than 1,000
Ib/yr. Eighty-one plants use less than
500,000 Ib of solvent per year. Although
these 81 locations account for more than
50% of the total number of plants, they
use less than 5% of the total solvents
reported in the survey.
Inks account for approximately 50% of
the total solvents used by the respon-
dents. More than 17% was used in coat-
ings, a similar amount in adhesives, and
about 14% was used in varnishes, clean-
ers, and other uses combined.
Table 1 gives a summary of some of
the survey data. Itcanbeseenthatflexo-
graphic presses are the most common
type of machine, and also that these
presses were smaller on the average.
Gravure presses were the next most com-
mon, and as they were generally consid-
ably larger, these presses consumed the
most solvent. A broad range of both water-
soluble and insoluble solvents were used,
a fact which can complicate efforts to
reclaim solvents.
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<«'
Table 1 . Flexible Packaging Machine Data
Machine Type
Presses Priming Combination
Flexo Gravure Laminators Coalers Stations Machines TOTAL
No. Reporting 366 153 88 59 47 86 799
Percent 46 19 11 7 6 11 100%
Solvent Usage"'
(MM Gal/year)
Alcohols 26.2 7.0 2.3 2.4 4.1 2.0 44.0
Ketones .3 5.3 5.3 2.6 0.8 1.3 15.6
Esters 8.2 21.6 3.8 3.0 0.6 0.8 38.0
Hydrocarbons 2.2 14.9 6.8 11.3 0.5 0.6 36.3
Other 2.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.7 4.5
TOTAL 39.1 49.4 18.7 19.6 6.1 5.4 138.4
Median Stack
Volume, 5,000 16,000 8,000 11,000 10.000 8,000
SCFM™
Exhaust VOC
Martian nnm131 ^fl 1 4O ?4<3 4OO 1 fifi
Median 1,000's
nnnnrlv/ \iaar fil~l 1 77 5O 1 f!1 K7
(1) 146 plants reporting usable data out of 154 responding
(2) 498 machines reporting usable data out of 799 responding
(3) 71 1 machines reporting usable data out of 799 responding
2. Average costs per pound of solvent
Cost Estimates vapor removed ranged upward from less
To obtain an estimate of the cost of than $0.10/lb VOC. The distribution of
controlling VOC, the costs of incinerators these costs (in percent) for various con-
is almost always economical. The 70%
heat recovery level considered here was
found to be economical in most cases in
spite of the higher capital costs. Units
with up to 90% heat recovery are avail-
able at increased capital costs.
4. In general, the annual costs for such
items as capital, maintenance, labor,
fuel, and water increase almost in pro-
portion to the amount of contaminated
air sent through the control device
(SCFM). As the amount of VOC in the
incoming air increases, the cost of incin-
eration decreases, since the heat-value
of the VOC replaces part of the fuel re-
quired to reach incineration temperature;
the cost of activated carbon adsorption
increases, since regeneration is more fre-
quent and there may be cost of conden-
sate disposal if the solvent is water solu-
ble. This study indicates that when
condensate disposal is required, the
break-even point is in the range of 500
to 700 ppm VOC; below this point, acti-
vated carbon usually is less expensive;
and above, incineration with heat recov-
ery will be less costly, with, of course,
some overlap. When the solvents are
not water soluble and condensate dispo-
sal is thus not required, this break-even
range increases to 900 to 1,000 ppm.
and activated carbon adsorption units
were obtained from manufacturers and
from the literature. There was consid-
erable variation in the cost figures ob-
tained, especially in the costs of inciner-
ators, where the spread in values was
approximately ±50%. Equations were
developed to estimate capital and annual
costs of equipment to control VOC emis-
sions based on machine size and opera-
tion.
Cost figures based on annual cost and
dollars/pounds of VOC removed were
calculated for 342 machines that had
responded to the survey with sufficient
data. Costs were calculated for thermal
incineration without heat recovery, ther-
mal incineration with 70% heat recovery,
activated carbon with steam regenera-
tion, without credit for recovered solvent,
and activated carbon, including a conden-
sate disposal charge. From the cost data,
the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. For 84% of the machines, activated
carbon was the least expensive VOC con-
trol method; incineration with 70% heat
recovery was less costly on 15% of the
machines, and incineration without heat
recovery was least expensive on only
1 % of the machines. When a charge for
condensate disposal was included, acti-
vated carbon adsorption was still the least
expensive option for 70% of the machines.
trol technologies are shown in Table 2.
3. For activated carbon units, the costs
associated with capital charges, main-
tenance, and labor are the major part of
the annual costs, ranging from 60% for
some of the larger, more heavily used
machines, to over 90% for smaller units
that are used only on a part-time basis.
When condensate disposal is necessary,
this cost can vary from less than 10% of
the total annual cost to over 80% if this
control technique were to be applied to a
gas stream of high VOC content.
For incinerators, except when the VOC
content of the exhaust is high and for
very small or rarely used units, fuel costs
are the major portion of the annual ex-
penses; and because of this, heat recovery
Table 2.
Cost Range
($/lb VOC)
Under $0.50
$0.50-$1.00
$1.00-$3.00
Over $3.00
Carbon
(D
31
22
29
18
Adsorption
(2)
8
34
37
21
Least Expensive
Incineration Technique
No Heat
Recovery
1
12
30
57
70% Heat
Recovery
17
20
32
31
(2)
19
27
35
19
(1) Charge for disposal of steam regeneration condensate not included.
(2) Includes charge for activated carbon steam regeneration condensate disposal.
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WAPORA. Inc.. Chevy Chase. MD 20015 authored this Project Summary.
Ronald J. Turner is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Assessment of Organic Emissions in the Flexible
Packaging Industry," (Order No. PB 81-135 378; Cost: $12.50; subject to
change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
> U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1W1 -757-064/0260
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Postage and
Fees Paid
Environmental
Protection
Agency
EPA 335
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
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