United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Risk Reduction
Engineering Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/S8-91/052 Sept. 1991
v/EPA Project Summary
Industrial Pollution Prevention
Opportunities for the 1990s
Ivars J. Licis, Herbert Skovronek, and Marvin Drabkin
A set of criteria was developed for
the purpose of subjectively prioritizing
industry segments for their pollution
prevention potential and their opportu-
nity for improvement. Using this set of
criteria, high priority industries were
selected from a Standard Industry Clas-
sification (SIC)-based list for investiga-
tion of the need or opportunity for waste
reduction through source reduction and/
or material recycle. Information concern-
ing the opportunities in particular in-
dustries was then solicited through
associations and individual companies,
researchers, and state agencies.
A final list consisting of 17 indus-
tries was identified. In addition, the in-
vestigation identified a list of generic
research or technological needs where
industry contacts believed research
could lead to waste minimization appli-
cable to more than one industry. These
were considered particularly attractive
because of the effect they could have
and also because they could avoid any
of the proprietary and competitive is-
sues that could inhibit EPA participa-
tion in industry-specific developments.
Since the start of this project, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) initiated the Industrial Toxics
Project (also known as the 33/50) that
identifies 17 high priority contaminants
on the Toxics Releases Inventory (TRI)
for voluntary reductions by the compa-
nies generating the waste. Although the
number 17 for both projects is coinci-
dental, the 17 priority contaminants are
closely represented by the 17 indus-
tries identified in this project.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Risk Reduction Engi-
neering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, to
announce key findings of the research
project that Is fully documented In a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering Information at
back).
Introduction
Pollution prevention is assuming a key
position in the Nation's efforts to reduce
environmental impact on land, water and
air. The 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste
Amendments (HSWA) specifically man-
date waste minimization as a national
objective. In response, the EPA has de-
veloped a pollution prevention program
to identify priority pollution prevention ar-
eas, assess waste management prac-
tices, and identify waste reduction
opportunities, particularly those that would
benefit by agency participation in their
development.
This segment of the EPA program was
designed to develop a data base of attrac-
tive technologies not yet in wide use. The
information would be used by EPA to de-
velop a research strategy for waste mini-
mization. A key aspect is the use of EPA
participation in such efforts to stimulate the
implementation of new procedures and pro-
cesses and the transfer of appropriate tech-
nology from one industry to others. EPA's
R&D program, although recognizing that
regulatory incentives and disincentives also
play a role, emphasizes the adoption of
technological advances on a voluntary ba-
sis in source reduction and waste recycle
as the key elements in waste reduction.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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The short-term goal of the EPA pollu-
tion prevention program is to help industry
find methods arid incentives for the reduc-
tion of high priority pollution (large quanti-
ties of releases, high potential for health
and ecological effects, high toxicity. good
opportunity for prevention). To reach this
goal, the Agency initiated the high priority,
Industrial Toxics Project (or 33/50). This
program Identifies 17 high priority contami-
nants on the TRI. Objectives are for an
aggregate, one-third (33 percent) reduc-
tion of these contaminants by 1992 and a
one-half (50 percent) reduction by 1995.
These reductions are to be made on a
voluntary basis, by the companies respon-
sible for the largest amounts released or
sent for treatment and disposal with the
technical assistance and encouragement
from the EPA.
The number 17 for both the SIC seg-
ments selected for investigation under the
"Industrial Pollution Prevention Opportuni-
ties for the 1990s' program and the priority
contaminants under the 33/50 is coinci-
dental. However, the 17 SIC segments
selected closely represent the major
sources of the 17 contaminants under the
33/50. The results of this project are to be
used as input for continuing work under
the 33/50.
Procedures
The project plan called for an extensive
list of industries to be screened by a num-
ber of persons with broad experience in
industrial waste management This initial
screening was used to identify a shorter
list of high priority industries that could
then be investigated in more depth. To
assist this effort, and to attempt to impose
a degree of uniformity on the bases used
int prioritizing industries, a set of 12 broad
criteria or questions were developed. These
covered such aspects as: the size of the
Industry, the types, volumes, and degree
of hazard of wastes generated, the per-
ceived potential for pollution prevention,
and the perceived receptivity of the indus-
try to EPA participation in development of
alternative technologies.
Approximately 25 persons, represent-
ing state and federal agencies and aca-
demic organizations, participated in the
initial screening of 175 industrial segments
selected from the Department of
Commerce's 1977 SIC. When compiled,
the data produced a first list of industry
segments wherein a few industries (e.g.,
electroplating and chemicals) were clearly
of high priority followed by a gradual fall-off
In perceived importance. No attempt was
made to achieve statistical validity for the
analysis of the data.
Scrutiny of the initial prioritizations indi-
cated that certain of the industrial catego-
ries (segments) were parts of the same
industry. A second compilation was carried
out in which these sub-industry segments
were combined, first at the 3-digrt SIC level
and then at the 2-digit SIC level. In some
cases, some of the SIC-based industry
categories were clearly not consistent with
the industry as it operates or as it is repre-
sented by its associations.
The final list recommended for in-depth
study consisted of 17 industries, with a
mixture of 2-, 3-, and 4-digit SIC catego-
ries, selected to best represent pollution
prevention priorities.
For each of the 17 industries selected,
detailed information was gathered on pol-
lution prevention problems and prevention
opportunities from all readily available
sources, such as state and agency offi-
cials where pollution prevention programs
were in existence, representative trade as-
sociations, managers of individual manu-
facturing facilities and applicable literature.
The scope of the program did not permit
an exhaustive review of these sources; it
attempted to get a reasonably broad view
for the resources available.
Results
As a result of these discussions, a range
of ideas and suggestions for new tech-
nologies were identified — technologies
that would reduce the amount of raw mate-
rials used, reduce the amount of waste
generated, substitute less hazardous ma-
terials, or allow the recycle of some waste.
These data are summarized in compilation
tables contained in the full report and also
summarized in the next section.
In addition, it was found that a number
of technological needs crossed industries.
For example, if solvents could be recycled
by distillation, their recovery might become
attractive in the printing, painting, dry clean-
ing, and other industries. Consequently,
discussions in one industry were often re-
newed with personnel in other industries to
learn if such approaches would benefit the
second industry. In this way, a number of
"generic" technological needs were identi-
fied. Those generic technologies that ap-
parently would benefit from EPA research
support and stimulation have also been
compiled for consideration by the Agency.
In the initial industry pribritization effort
and subsequent recompilation, the follow-
ing 17 industries were selected as those
where the priority needs and opportunities
for pollution prevention were most apt to
be encountered and where EPA support
might be expected to stimulate or acceler-
ate the implementation of the technology.
The 17 selected for further study and their
respective SICs are listed below.
Textile dyes and dyeing 226
Wood preserving 2491
Pulp and paper 26
Printing 271-275
Chemical manufacture 281
Plastics 2821
Pharmaceuticals 283
Paint industry 285
Ink manufacture 2893
Petroleum industry 291
Steel industry 331
Non-ferrous metals 333-334
Metal finishing 3471
Electronics/ 3674
semiconductors
Automobile manufacture/ 371
assembly
Laundries/dry cleaning 721
Automobile refinishingr 753 " '
repair
The full report briefly describes the ap-
proaches to source reduction and waste
recycle identified for each industry by dis-
cussions with academic, governmental, and
industrial representatives and from a lim-
ited review of current literature. The tech-
nologies are discussed in both narrative
and tabular format. In some cases, only a
need or opportunity has been identified
and no method is yet available, or pro-
posed, to achieve the desired waste re-
ductions.
The following technologies or needs
within individual industries are believed to
have major impact on pollution prevention
and would benefit from EPA research ac-
tivity.
Textiles: Dye and scouring agent re-
covery.
Wood preserving: Less toxic preserv-
ing agents.
Pulp and paper: Improved recovery of
coated stock; fiber strength/restora-
tion.
Printing: Solvent recovery.
Chemicals: Solvent recycle and substi-
tution; improved catalysts.
Plastics: Scrap segregation or
compatibilization.
Pharmaceuticals: Solvent recycle and
substitution.
Painting: Low and non-VOC paints and
application.
Ink Manufacture: Low and non-VOC
inks; elimination of metallic pigments.
Petroleum industry: Spill prevention,
materials recovery.
Steel: Reuse of tars, electric arc fur-
nace dust, calcium fluoride.
Non-ferrous metals: Arsenic isolation;
sulfur oxide emission reductions.
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Metal finishing: Improved bath constitu-
ent recovery; alternate corrosion pro-
tection approaches.
Electronics: "Clean" fabrication.
Automobile manufacturing and assem-
bly: Life extension of oils, coolants,
painting improvements.
Automobile refinishing/repair: Solvent
loss reductions, substitution.
Laundry/dry cleaning: Improved solvent
recovery, substitution.
As noted earlier, a number of generic
technologies were also identified that could,
potentially, serve the pollution prevention
needs of several different industries. The
report discusses these in some detail and
indicates industries where the approaches
may be suitable. Table 1 summarizes the
technologies suggested.
Conclusions/Recommendations
This project has been a starting point in
prioritizing industries for their pollution pre-
vention and their opportunities for making
improvements; it is by no means exhaus-
tive. To become a usable tool, regular
additions and updating should be sched-
uled. The evaluation criteria need to be
simplified.
It was apparent before the start of the
project, but made more obvious during its
course, that a classification tool that gets
around the shortcomings of adapting the
SIC system is needed so that more repre-
sentative priorities can be made for pollu-
tion prevention research.
Decisions concerning pollution preven-
tion by a particular industry are often influ-
enced by factors beyond the cost of
treatment/disposal or the amount of waste
being generated. Factors such as environ-
mental regulations that may restrict or in-
hibit source reduction or recycling,
manufacturing restrictions imposed by other
governmental agencies (e.g., FDA), per-
ceived customer requirements, availability
of personnel, space, or required capital
investment all come into play.
Confidentiality and economic advan-
tages gained when waste reduction prac-
tices are put into operation but not disclosed
to others in an industry also cannot be
ignored.
Industries composed largely of small
businesses (e.g., automotive services, elec-
troplating/metal finishing, et al.) would ben-
efit from government-supported research
into new and innovative approaches di-
rected to their scale of operations.
A large number of industry-specific and
generic technologies exist that would ben-
efit from EPA-suppprted research investi-
gations and stimulation. Investigating these
opportunities should hold significant prior-
ity.
The full report was submitted in fulfill-
ment of Task 0-9 of EPA Contract No. 68-
C8-0062 by Science Applications
International Incorporated ancl Versar Inc.
under the sponsorship of the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency.
Table 1.
Technology
Generic Technologies
Specific Aspects
VOC control
CFC substitutes
Oil/water separation
Improved seals
Reaction efficiency
Process control
Acid recovery
Boiler technology
Adsorption systems
Scrap metal
Develop practical solvent vapor recovery at small-scale
Design non-CFC foaming agents for urethane
Find effective substitutes for cooling/refrigeration
Recover materials from petroleum industry wastes
Improve recovery/recycle with improved emulsion breaking
technology
Recycle/recover metal cutting fluids
Improve valve and pump design for decreased
maintenance frequency
Redesign for improved mixing and improved reaction rates
Improve manual process control methods
Use automatic controls with feed-back/feed-forward
features
Recover solvents from vapor degreasers
Develop nonsolvent degreasing
Recover pickle liquor and battery acid
Develop electrodialytic purification
Identify techniques for reducing waste from boiler blow-
down
Develop selective adsorbents
Improve manufacturing methods
•&U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1991 - 548428/40097
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Ivars Lfc/s (also the EPA Project Manager see below) is with the Risk Reduction
Engineering Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268; Herbert S. Skoyronek is with Science
Applkations International Inc., Paramus, NJ 07652; and Marvin Drabkin is with Versar
Inc., Springfield, VA 22101.
The complete report, entitled "Industrial Pollutbn Prevention Opportunities for the
1990s,'(Order No. PB91-220376; Cost $19.00 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:
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
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EPA/600/S8-91/052
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