United States
                    .Environmental Protection
                     Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 27711
                     Research and Development
EPA/600/S2-90/059 May 1992
-&EPA       Project Summary
                     Evaluation of  Innovative  Volatile
                     Organic Compound and
                     Hazardous Air  Pollutant Control
                     Technologies  for U.S. Air Force
                     Paint Spray  Booths
                     D. Ritts, C. Garretson, C. Hyde, J. Lorelli, and G.D. Wolbach
                       This report gives results of an evalu-
                     ation of carbon paper adsorption cata-
                     lytic  incineration  (CPACI)  and
                     fluidized-bed catalytic incineration
                     (FBCI) as control technologies to re-
                     duce volatile organic compound (VOC)
                     emissions from paint spray booths. Pi-
                     lot-scale  units were tested simulta-
                     neously to evaluate  the  technical
                     performance of both technologies. Re-
                     sults showed that each technology
                     maintained >99% destruction and re-
                     moval efficiencies. Particulate emis-
                     sions from both pilot-scale units were
                     <0.08 gr/dscf. Emissions of the criteria
                     pollutants—SOX, NO,, and  CO—were
                     also below general regulatory standards
                     for incinerators. Economic evaluations
                     were based on a compilation of manu-
                     facturer-supplied data and energy con-
                     sumption data gathered during the
                     pilot-scale tests. CPACI and FBCI are
                     less expensive than standard VOC con-
                     trols when net present costs for a 15-
                     year equipment life are compared.
                       This Project Summary was  devel-
                     oped by EPA's Air and Energy Engi-
                     neering Research Laboratory, Research
                     Triangle Park, NC, to announce key find-
                     ings of the research project that is fully
                     documented in a separate report of the
                     same title (see Project Report ordering
                     information at back).

                     Introduction
                       The  objective of this project was to
                     identify and evaluate innovative emission
                     control technologies capable of effectively
                     and economically  reducing or eliminating
                     volatile organic compound (VOC) and haz-
                     ardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from
                     atypical U.S. Air Force (USAF) paint spray
                     booth.
   Significant quantities of VOCs and
 HAPs are released into the atmosphere
 during USAF maintenance operations.
 Painting operations conducted in paint
 spray booths are major sources of these
 pollutants. Solvent-based epoxy primers
 and solvent-based polyurethane coatings
 are typically used by  the Air  Force for
 painting aircraft and associated equipment.
 Solvents used in these  paints include:
 methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), toluene, lac-
 quer thinner, and other solvents involved
 in painting and component cleaning.
   USAF maintenance facilities have been
 identified as VOC and HAP emissions
 sources; as such, they are regulated by
 the Clean Air Act (CAA) and related state
 and local regulations. Because many USAF
 bases are located in areas that have not
 yet attained pollution control goals estab-
 lished by the CAA, local air pollution con-
 trol agencies are requesting that the USAF
 decrease its VOC and HAP emissions. In
 response to these regulations, the  USAF
 Engineering Services Center (AFESC), in
 cooperation with the U.S. EPA, initiated
 technology evaluation programs to mini-
 mize VOC and HAP emissions through the
 application of source control reductions
 and system modifications to existing paint
 spray booth operations.

 Scope
   Technical and economic evaluations,
 in conjunction with a vendor survey, were
 performed for 11 innovative emission con-
 trol technologies. Based upon the results
 of these tasks, two technologies were se-
 lected for field-testing:  carbon paper ad-
 sorption catalytic incineration (CPACI), and
 fluidized-bed catalytic incineration (FBCI).
 In these evaluations, CPACI and FBCI
 were compared with standard VOC emis-
                                                                    Printed on Recyclecj Paper

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slon control technologies, such as regen-
erative thermal incineration (RTI).
   During the field-testing, one CPACI pi-
lot-scale unit and one FBCI pilot-scale unit
were tested simultaneously, at the "Big
Bertha" paint spray booth in Building 655
at McClellan Air Force Base (AFB), Cali-
fornia.

Methodology
   Reid tests of the pilot-scale CPACI and
FBCI units were conducted by using Bay
Area Air  Quality Management District-
(BAAQMD-) and EPA-approved source test
methods. BAAQMD Method ST-7, and EPA
Methods 2, 3A. 4, 5, 10, and 25A were
used. Organics in the exhaust gases were
characterized using  National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-
Method 1300. Economic evaluations were
based on manufacturer-supplied data used
in conjunction with estimates provided in
EPA's EAB Cost Control Manual.  This
manual and the Naval Facilities Engineer-
ing Command's Economic Analysis Hand-
book were referenced to develop the net
present cost (NPC) and treatment costs for
each technology evaluated.

Test Description
   The pilot-scale units were tested over a
10-day period during which the technolo-
gies were operated under a variety of con-
ditions. The control technologies' operating
temperatures and the flow rate of exhaust
gas to be treated were controlled to meet
desired  operating parameters. Operating
conditions generally fell into one of three
categories: low flow rate and high tem-
perature, high flow rate and bw tempera-
ture, and high  flow  rate  and high
temperature. During the tests, the paint
spray booth was operated normally.

Results
   Information gathered in the vendor sur-
vey indicates that certain innovative VOC
control technologies could be applied to
paint spray booths. Regenerative thermal
oxidation (RTO),  RTI, membrane vapor
separation/condensation, carbon adsorp-
tion/incineration, CPACI, and FBCI might
be applied successfully to USAF paint spray
booths.. Field-tests of CPACI and FBCI-
have demonstrated that each unit can
achieve VOC destruction and removal effi-
ciencies (DREs) of 99% during normal op-
erating  conditions.
   An economic evaluation performed for
a CPACI device sized to treat 60,000 scfm
for 15  years  resulted  in an NPC  of
$2,570,000.
   An economic evaluation performed for
an FBCI device sized to treat 60,000 scfm
for 15  years  resulted  in an NPC  of
$2,369,000.

Conclusions
   CPACI, FBCI,  and RTO appear fea-
sible based on manufacturers' literature
and  reports used  in the automobile and
 aircraft  manufacturing industries.
 The ORE of 99% achieved in field tests of
 the CPACI and FBCI pilot-scale units indi-
 cates that these systems can effectively
 control VOC emissions from USAF paint
 spray booths. This ORE is equivalent to or
 better than the DREs achievable with stan-
 dard technologies. RTO has not yet been
 tested on USAF paint booths,  but its per-
 formance is expected to be acceptable.
   The economic evaluations of CPACI
 and FBCI found that both compare favor-
 able to standard treatments such as ther-
 mal incineration. NPCs and treatment costs
 for both CPACI and  FBCI are lower than
 those associated with standard VOC emis-
 sion controls. Implementation  of flow re-
 duction techniques can further reduce the
-costs.of VOC-emission controls	

 Recommendations
   Either CPACI or FBCI can  be  used
 effectively and economically to control VOC
 emissions from USAF paint spray booths.
 Other technologies, such as RTO, may be
 applicable, but they  should first be field-
 tested at the pilot-scale level in paint spray
 booths to determine their viability.
   Flow reduction technologies need to be
 incorporated into existing paint spray booths
 if possible. Reduction of paint spray booth
 exhaust by as  much as 90%  is possible
 with these technologies. Such a flow re-
 duction is beneficial  because  it  can sub-
 stantially reduce treatment costs.
  D. Ritts, C. Garretson, C. Hyde, J. Lorelli, andC.D. Wolbach
    are with Acurex Corp., Mountain View, CA 94O39.
  Charles H. Darvin is the EPA Project Officer, (see below).
  The complete report, entitled "Evaluation of Innovative
    Volatile Organic Compound and Hazardous Air Pollutant
    Control Technologies for U.S. Air Force Paint Spray   ___
    Booths," (Order No. ADA-242508/AS; Cost: $26.00,
    subject to change) will be available only from:
                              National Technical Information Service
                              5285 Port Royal Road
                              Springfield, VA 22161
                              Telephone: 703-487-4650
                       The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
                       	^,^J\itandJ:nergyEngineering Research Laboratory
                              U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                              Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
      Center for Environmental Research
      Information
      Cincinnati, OH 45268
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EPA/600/S2-90/059

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