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C. Detailed Description of the Identified Technologies
In the description of technologies discussed below, features .of the existing processes/product lines/technologies,
as well as options for change that we have identified as worthy of promotion, are found in bolded text.
A. SIC-SpecifIc Options
Technological Option #1: SIC 334
Pollution Prevention technology in the secondary lead processing in a Manufacturer of Starting, Lighting, and Ignition
(SLJ) Batteries
The facility operates one, two, or three 8-hour shifts and employs 220 people. In 1993, they .sold 231,000 batteries.
Facility operations can be divided into six mam steps: (1) conversion of scrap lead into cast panels, (2) conversion of
virgin lead into lead oxide powder and paste, (3) pasting and curing of panels, (4) container formation of batteries, (5) tank
formation of batteries, and (6) laboratory analysis and process controls. The battery making process begins on two parallel
tracks: the facility recovers lead from used batteries that are collected and brought to the facility, scrap lead is recycled and
then cast into grids, and virgin lead is mechanically converted into a powdery lead oxide, which is used to make a paste.
These separate feeds merge at the grid pasting machine where the paste is pressed into the grids. Pasted plates are cured
and then take one of two paths to become battery elements: tank formation or container formation. These processes convert
the paste into active material that will electrically charge and discharge throughout the useful life of the battery. In tank
formation, this process takes place in large tanks whereas in container formation, the cured plates are assembled and formed
in the battery case itself. ,
To make the lead oxide paste, lead oxide powder is mixed with de-ionized water, sulfuric acid, and organic expanders. One
recipe makes a positive plate, while a slightly different recipe makes a negative plate. The pasted plates then move on a
conveyor belt through a drying oven. After pasting and drying, the plates move into a curing chamber for about 48 hours
to convert the remaining lead into lead oxide.
Existing Pollution Problems
(1) waste acid from the used batteries that are cracked to recover lead is disposed of on-site, (2) uncovered lead slag and dust
piles, (3) excessive energy used in smelting ovens, curing rooms, and the tank formation process, and (4) excessive
wastewater generation in the grid pasting and washing processes. In addition, over 2,500 kilograms of lead oxide paste
is spilled and fed into the smelting process each day, using virgin lead where scrap lead would suffice. Finally, several
technological problems (e.g., the outdated lead oxide mill and lack of a moisture analysis oven) increase raw materials
use and adversely affect battery quality.
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Pollution Prevention Opportunities
Overall, this assessment identified nineteen pollution prevention opportunities that could address the problems identified
and produce significant economic benefits for the facility. If implemented, these opportunities could save over $ 1,531,206
(US) in the first 12 months for an investment of $522,500 (US). . ,
The pollution prevention strategy is premised on the belief that addressing sources of waste and pollutants also improves
the company's economic position by reducing operating costs and improving product quality, hi this case, product quality
is increased by (1) increasing the lead oxide particle size by buying a liquid atomization mill, (2) increasing the moisture
content of the paste recipes, (3) increasing the curing temperature, humidity, and air circulation, (4) analyzing the moisture
content of the pasted plates on-site, at Ihe oven, (5) monitoring the smelting oven temperature and adjusting to the optimal
level, (6) curing larger batches of pasted plates, and (7) utilizing cadmium sticks in the laboratory to measure cell voltage.
The following is a list of the opportunities for pollution prevention recommended for the facility and presents the
environmental and product quality benefits, implementation cost, savings, and payback-time for each. Because the quantities
of pollution generated by the facility and possible pollution prevention levels depend on production levels, all values should
be considered in that context.
Conversion of Scrap lead'into Cast PanelsSmeltingOptions included:
Buy temperature monitoring instrument to adjust oven which reduces toxic emissions and slag
and reduces energy costs. Costs $1000, provides a financial benefit of $1000 per year. Thus it
has a pay back period of one year. . .
Casting PanelsOption included: " .
Purchase improved design mold which reduces waste, lowers energy use and eliminates steps
in the process. The cost is $100,000 (US). Financial benefit and payback period is
incorporated in plate cutting. ,
Conversion of Virgin lead into lead oxide powder and pasteOptions included:
Purchase a liquid lead atomization mill - improves efficiency and reduces emissions of lead
oxide powder. The cost is $200,000 (US) which provides quality improvements.
Pasting and curing Panels: CuttingThe options identified included:
Eliminate the cutting process which reduces scrap and saves lead and energy. The cost is
$100,000 with a financial benefit of $70,956 per year and a payback period of less than 18
months.
Tank formation of .plates: Eliminate the process saves water and natural gas, reduces worker exposure to acid and lead
dust, reduces volume of waste water and improves battery quality. The cost is $ 100,000 with a financial benefit of $693,000
per year and therefore a payback period of less than three months.
Implementation Status
The facility has already implemented many of the low/no cost changes. In addition, the facility has begun to implement
several capital intensive changes. For example, it has placed an order for boost charging equipment ($ 100,000) and
requested price quotes for a liquid lead atomization mill ($240,000). Source: The UNEPICPIC database. _^
23
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Technological Option #2: SIC 2869
Ultrasonic reactor cleaner reduces waste generation and cuts energy costs, in an industrial organic chemicals
manufacturer.
A Chemdet Sonic Cleaning system is now used at 3 M to clean batch reactors, replacing the old process of filling the reactor
with caustic or solvent and boiling the solution for one or two days. Cleaning chemicals are pumped under pressure through
a twin-nozzled rotating spray head to break down the waste. Then, caustic or solvent is sprayed under'600 Ib. pressure to
complete the dissolution and flush the vessel clean.
Material/Energy Balance and Substitution
FEEDSTOCKS: Solvent, caustic
WASTES: Spent solvent, caustic, containing adhesives, resins, polymers
MEDIUM: Liquid
Economics
CAPITAL COST: 836,000
OPERATION/MAINTENANCE: Reduction in labor costs not reported
SAVINGS: $575,000 in first year, from labor, materials and machine costs
P2 Benefits
FEEDSTOCK REDUCTION: Reduced requirements for solvent and caustic not reported
WASTE PRODUCTION: 1,000 tons/yr. of water pollutants were eliminated
IMPACT/PROBLEMS: Installation of the Chemdet system for cleaning the reactors has eliminated tiie need to fill the 4,000
8,000 gallon reactors with solvent and caustic, which greatly reduces the amount of spent solvent generated.
Source: The UNEPICPIC database.
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Technological Option #3: SIC 2819
Closing of evaporation ponds and introduction of an acid gas adsorption system in the production of hydrochloric, acid
In 1987 Dow Chemical introduced a process change in the Pittsburg, California plant The process change involved the
installation of an acid gas adsorption system, that eliminated the need to send brine to evaporation ponds. This process
change which called for a capital expenditure of 8250,000 reduces caustic waste by 12,000,000 Ib./yr. and hydrochloric acid
waste by 160,000 lb./yr. for a payback period of less than 2 months. {Note: Many SMEs that use such a process will incur
longer payback times because me volumes of wastes they handle, and thus the level of cost reductions they will enjoy, are
much smaller.}
Previously, the wastestream of hydrochloric acid gas, formed by the reaction between chlorine and organic compounds, was
scrubbed with caustic, forming brine: .a portion of this brine was sent to evaporation ponds while the 'rest was used to
produce chlorine gas through electrolysis. Now, the hydrochloric acid is first scrubbed with water and then caustic. This
stepwise method salvages a portion of the hydrochloric acid waste stream so that it can be reused as a raw material elsewhere
in the plant or sold as a product. It also avoids, the formation of sodium chlorate compounds that precluded the in-process
recycling of the spent caustic stream. Further, less caustic is needed to convert remaining hydrochloric acid to brine, and
all brine is used as raw material to produce chlorine gas. '
Source: " Environmental Dividends: Cutting More Chemical Wastes," INFORM 1992.
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Technological Option #4: SIC 2821
Recovery and reuse of vinyl acetate in the production of polypropylene
The full description of the technology is given in the following attachment.
Source/Citation: Mr. Henry Ward, Union Carbide Health, Safety and Environmental Afiairs,
39OldRidgebuiy Rd., Danbury, CT 06817 (through an EPA REEL compendium of P2 case studies).
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UNION CARBIDE PLASTICS AND CHEMICALS CO., INC.
SEADRIFT/TEXAS CITY, TEXAS
Recovery and Reuse of Raw Materials in Chemical Products/
Elimination of Toxic Metals in Cooling Water Treatment Via Product Substitution
Seadrift Plant
The Union Carbide Seadrift Plant is located along the southeast Texas coast
approximately 130 miles from Houston, Texas. The plant, one of Carbide's largest,
employs close to 1,300 people. The plant produces ethylene, glycols, amines, solvents,
polyethylene, and polypropylene.
Seadrift's largest waste stream is a residue that contains high concentrations of
vinyl acetate (VA) along with heavier components such as poly oils. It is characteristically
ignitable, making it hazardous under RCRA. At its peak, this waste stream averaged over
5 million pounds per year.
In late 1987 the plant installed a VA recovery system on their High Pressure 2
Polyethylene Unit. This recovery system began full-time operation in 1988. The project
installation cost of this recovery system was approximately $1.3 million and took 12 months
to complete. After the first full year of operation, documented raw material efficiency
improved 10%. This resulted in a savings of $570,000. The volume of the hazardous
waste stream was decreased by 1.4 million pounds during this reporting period. No
additional manpower was added to operate the recovery system. Operational costs for the
new equipment, such as utilities and maintenance, have been minimal. Over the three
year period of its operation the recovery system has resulted in reported savings of
approximately $2 million.
The vinyl acetate system is closed-loop recycle (see flow diagram on next page).
The residue is taken from the reaction system purge column and various entrainment
separators to the Recovery System ("Lights" Column Feed Tank), which operates at fairly
low pressures and temperatures below 100 C. In the feed tank some of the dissolved
lights (ethylene and propylene) are sent to a vent gas suction system. An inhibitor is also
added at this point to prevent the VA from polymerizing.
The residue stream is then fed to the Lights Column where the bulk of the dissolved
ethylene and propylene are taken out. This column contains a number of trays with an
integral upward-draft condenser. The column operates under 20 psi and below 100 C.
f
The lights from the Lights Column go to the Flash Tank for disposal via thermal
treatment and the heavies (vinyl acetate and poly oils) go to the Vinyl Acetate (VA)
Recovery Column. The VA Recovery Column contains 21 trays below 20 psi and below
150' C. The column takes refined VA as an "overhead" make at a reflux ratio of
approximately 2. The recovered vinyl acetate is therefore able to be used as a raw
material in the original process.
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Improvements were made to the recovery system during 1989 which resulted in
another 10% increase in efficiency. The calandria was revised to provide better fluid
dynamics and heat transfer. Modifications to recycle piping improved recovery during
start-up, shutdown, and reactor upsets. Closer attention to product scheduling and
operating parameters (such as base temperature) have also allowed for improvements with
no additional capital investment. The control panel display has been modified to show
operators the cost savings in a graphic way to encourage optimization.
Lights
to
Disposal
Feed from
Reaction
System
Recovery
System
Feed Tank
Lights
Removal
Column
Vinyl Acetate
Recovery
Column
To Vinyl Acetate
. Run Tank for Feed
Back to Reaction
Heavies to Disposal
System
SEADRIFT PLANT
1) Feed and Make Rates Vary With
Reactor Product
2) Operating Conditions Vary With
Reactor Product
3) Major Equipment Only is Illustrated
Simplified Flow Diagram
Vinyl Acetate Recovery System
Source: Union Carbide, Seadrift Plant
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Technological Option #5: SIC 2865
New solvent recovery process in the manufacturing ofplasticizers results in reduced quantity of waste generated
Manufacturing processes were modified to reduce the quantity of hazardous waste generated by 13 %. Process modifications
include: additional recycling of distillation overhead waste, installation of on line analyzers to reduce the production of by
products, better control of chemical reactions to improve yield.
Case Studv Summarv
The manufacture ofplasticizers, such as phthalic anhydride or phthalic esters, generate the following listed wastes: KO15
(still bottoms from the distillation of benzyl chloride), K023 (distillation light ends from the production of phthalic anhydride
from naphthalene), and K024 (distillation bottoms from the production of phthalic anhydride from naphthalene).
Approximately 5 million Ib./yr. of these wastes were generated' at this plant. Some wastes were incinerated;'some were
landfilled on site and off site.
. ( '
Scale of Operation: This facility has more than 100 employees, and more than 1000 tons of waste were manifested between
1981-1985.
Stage of Development: Fully implemented L
Level of Commercialization:. This information is not available.
Results of Application: 13% reduction in the quantity of hazardous waste generated
Investment cost; $500,000 (1987)
Cleaner Production Benefits
Economic Benefits: $78,000 annual savings in treatment/disposal costs. .'
Liability reduction: Reduced liabilities by reducing the quantity of hazardous waste generated.
Regulatory compliance: Regulatory compliance is easier with a 13% reduction in the quantity of listed hazardous waste
generated at this plant.
Waste and/or Emission Description . .
Physical state: Liquid, solid . K
Composition: Mixed organic chemicals
Description: K015,K023,K024 " , ,
Cross Industry Application: Organics manufacturing ,
Source: "A Study of Hazardous Waste Reduction and Recycling in Four Industrial Groups in New Jersey," Environmental
Resources Management, me, April 1987 {through UNEPICPIC}. '
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Technological Option #6: SIC 2911
Installation of an oily water treatment unit to remove insoluble emulsified oil from the desalter -wash in a petroleum
refining process
The fall of description of the technology is given in the following attachment.
Source: "Waste Minimization in the Petroleum Industry - A compendium of practices," API Publication 849 30200
(Used with permission).
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Refining Waste Minimization Practices
Case Study 4-4: DeoMing of Desalter Effluent
Introduction
A West Coast refiner has a desalter producing 13,675 tons per year (TRY) of oily water
containing approximately 6.3 weight percent oil and 0.1 weight percent solids which would
ordinarily be discharged to the refinery wastewater system. If allowed in the wastewater
system, the oily water forms sludges and emulsions that would have to be removed and
disposed.
Description of Waste Minimization Practice
As part of original construction, the refiner installed an oily water treatment unit
downstream of the desalter. The purpose of the unit is to remove insoluble oil from
desalter wash water containing emulsified oil. The figure on the next page is a simplified
flow diagram of a typical'system.
The oily water stream from the desalter is contacted with 1647 tpy of naphtha and a
surfactant chemical. The water-oil-solvent stream is mixed in an in-line, low-shear mixer
and proceeds to the main separator vessel, where an electrostatic field is established to
maintain a sharp hydrocarbon/water interface and to assist in the separation process; The
separation occurs because of density differences between the two phases.
The distillate solvent oil extracted from the water exits the top of the main separator and
is sent to crude oil storage. OiMree water (12,800 tpy) is discharged from the bottom of
the vessel and proceeds to the refinery disposal system.
Effectiveness
The oily water treatment unit removes approximately 862 tpy of oil. Treated wastewater
typically contains 100 to 500 ppm oil and grease and 25 to 200 ppm solids. Assuming an
API separator sludge composition of 70% water, 20% oil, and 10% solids, sludge
generation is reduced by at least 122.4 tpy. At a nominal $200/ton disposal cost, annual
disposal cost savings would be $24,500/year. The user reported initial difficulties with the
mixer supplied with the treatment unit, and installed an in-line mixer to replace the original
equipment. Aside from this modification, the unit has operated for nine years with very
little maintenance. The long-range effectiveness of this system appears to be good.
Costs
The capital cost of the oily water treatment unit is approximately $60,000. Naphtha use
amounts to 525,600 gallons per year and naphtha is recovered. Approximately 730
gallons per year of surfactant chemicals are used (1979 average cost for surfactant
chemical was $10.93/gallon). Electrical power consumption for this unit is not known.
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Technological Option #7: SIC 3471
1,1,1 Trichloroethane(TCA) is eliminated from the production process by aqueous based cleaning at a fastening parts
manufacturing facility
Cleaner Production Class: improved operating practices, substitute less toxic raw material
Industry Class: surface finishing, cleaning, and coating
SIC Code: 3400, fabricated metal products, 3471, electroplating, surface finishing
P2 Technology Category: The P2 technology involved initially reducing TCA use and finally eliminating its use by
installing aqueous cleaning systems.
Case Study Summary
Process and Waste Information: This facility manufactures nafls, staples, and the tools to drive these fasteners. The
fastening tools are made of aluminum, magnesium and carbon steel. To produce these fastening parts, grinding, milling,
drilling, lathe working, heat treatment and metal finishing operations are employed. Prior to many of these operations,
parts are cleaned in a cold application using TCA. TCA was being discharged in the wastewater at levels twice as high
as the allowable limit. Absorbents used around the machine tools also showed levels of TCA that prevented disposal in
the regular trash. The company decided to attempt to eliminate the use of TCA from the manufacturing of fastening
tools. ,
A task force identified potential causes of excessive TCA cleaning wastes: too much availability of cleaners,
unnecessary dumping of TCA, lack of operator awareness, and unnecessary parts cleaning. Initially, the firm reduced
'the number of cleaning stations from 37 to 27. Costs associated with dumping of cleaners were made the responsibility
of each department. Operators were surveyed to identify TCA use and determine opinions for alternatives.
P2 ODDortunities: .
The selected pollution prevention measure was to use a heated tank with liquid agitation, contingent on the necessary
chip removal and oil removal systems. In the machine maintenance areas, two mineral spirit cleaners were installed and
the company is in the process of installing aqueous-based cleaning systems. At the time of this writing, they had
installed 13 aqueous washing systems and two (2) mineral spirits cleaning systems. They expect to have a total of 15
aqueous systems, centralized within departments, to replace 37 former TCA locations.
Other process implementation, in addition to the processes for reducing TCA, included treating soapy water by oil
separation and in house pH neutralization. Also, a precision grinder was replaced by an older piece of grinding
equipment which does not require virgin material., A "procedure" (not further described) was also recommended that
would prevent the spoilage of coolants. , '
Scale of Operation: Approximately 6500 gallons per year of TCA were used. No other measure of the scale of' -
operations was provided.
Stage of Development: The P2 technology is in the implementation stages, all equipment is not yet fully installed.
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Material/Energy Balances and Substitutions:
Material Category Quantity Before Quantity After
Waste Generation:
1,1,1 trichloroethane 400 ppb in waste not detectable in water discharge
Feedstock Use:
6500 gallons 0
N/A N/A
N/A N/A
Economics
1,1,1 trichloroethane
Water Use:
Energy Use:
Investment Costs: The anticipated capital expenditures during 1990-1991 on this project are $80,000. This includes
costs for aqueous cleaning systems, waste water collection equipment, and equipment installation.
Operational & Maintenance Costs: $ 15,000 in utility costs are required for heating and pumping aqueous fluids. There
is an extra electrical cost associated with heating and pumping aqueous cleaning fluids equal to $ 15,000 per year. TCA
cold cleaning had no utility cost.
Payback Time: With an approximate annual savings of $56,500 and $80,000 in capital costs, the pay back period is
approximately 1.4 years.
Cleaner Production Benefits
A net savings of $7,000 is expected from reduced disposal costs, since the disposal costs in 1988 were $9,000 and they
expect that the cost for disposal of separated oils will be $2,000. In addition, the annual cost saving associated with the
disposal of absorbents no longer contaminated with TCA is $34,000.
A net savings from replacing virgin TCA and aqueous cleaners will be $7,000. This was calculated from the difference
in the 1988 cost of virgin TCA ($27,000) and the 1991 costs for aqueous cleaning solution ($20,000).
Other processes implemented, in addition to the processes for reducing TCA, included treating soapy water by oil
separation and in house pH neutralization. The annual savings from segregation and in house treatment are $20,000.
The savings from changing to an older grinder lead to an annual savings of $ 1,200 from reuse of the coolant. The annual
savings from preventing spoilage of coolants are $1,300.
Overall, the potential savings from eliminating TCA is approximately $56,500 per year.
There are also regulatory advantages that cannot be directly quantified. Permit concerns associated with TCA discharge
were greatly diminished by successfully negotiating with the regulatory agencies to tie the metal finish discharge into the
nearby town sewer system. The company will no longer have to report under SARA for TCA which will save
considerable time. Finally TCA air discharges will be eliminated. This may be especially important since TCA has
come under intense scrutiny and regulation because of its ozone depletion and air toxics potential..
Citation: American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society, Inc., and the Environmental
Protection Agency; "12th AESF/EPA Conference on Environmental Control for the Surface Finishing Industry,"
January. 1991; pp. 165-181.
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Technological Option #8: SIC 285
Plasticolors, Inc., has developed and implemented a waste minimization program which reduced waste generation by
43% during its first plan year , . ' * '
Clean Technology Category "
Process raw materials modification and process modifications were undertaken by Plasticolors, Incorporated, to
implement their goal of waste minimization.
Case Study Summary
Plasticolors, Inc., manufactures dispersions,.additives and colorants. In early 1990, the company began a waste
minimization program to reduce the.amount of waste generated and to reuse materials when possible without affecting
product quality. The amount of resinous and water waste generated during the twelve months prior to their waste
minimization program (WASTEMIN) was 556,100 pounds. During their first plan year it was 315,478 pounds, a
reduction of 43%. Overall production during this time decreased by 17%. In addition, 12,227 pounds of solid waste
(office/computer paper and cardboard) was sent out for recycling rattier than to a landfill where it had previously been .
sent.
All areas of Plasticolors' operation have been involved in the WASTEMIN project. All employees have received
various degrees of training and education regarding the proper segregation, collection, reuse and/or disposal of residual
materials and their associated costs. Segregation and separation of flammable materials from combustible materials, and
pourable from thick liquids prior to disposal, has been a common practice for many years; However, Plasticolors' Waste
Minimization Team has also begun segregating material for reuse in the manufacture of new or existing products.
Initially, Plasticolors' waste reduction program consisted of collecting and reusing resins. These resins were used to
purge out sandmill chambers and related equipment between product runs. This material was identified,
collected and stored for use in the next batch of material to be made. Production scheduling was also incorporated into
this process so that the colors being processed were in the proper sequence. Two additional mill chambers and
pumps were purchased to reduce the frequency of cleaning and, consequently, the amount of purge generated.
Plasticolors' largest reduction in generated waste has come from the production area. The lab has also been
involved in the WASTEMIN project. The lab revised their procedures, collects smaller quality control samples and
retains samples. ,
The pollution prevention techniques concerning minimization and/or reuse of resinous and water waste were conceived,
developed and implemented by the Waste Minimization Team. This team was made up of employees from all areas of
the company, from line employees to office managers. The team utilized the talents, abilities and input of all the
employees. The seven member team was charged with accomplishing a first year 25% waste reduction. These
reduction techniques have been used since their implementation: The technology and processes incorporated by
Plasticolors were not commercially available. . , __^^
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Economics
Investment costs
Two sandmill chambers, pumps and associate equipment $24,556
Operating and Maintenance costs
Waste Minimization team
(comprised of seven members meeting weekly)
Employee Training
(Procedural and awareness)
350 hours - $5,968
140 hours - $2,387
The payback period was less than one year. The total investment during the plan period of October 1,1990, to
September 30,1991 was $32,911. Using the previous twelve months as a baseline, the net savings were $83,480 of
which $55,656 was divided among all employees as a waste minimisation bonus. This amounted to each employee
receiving a check for approximately $500. ,
Cleaner Production Benefits
The reduction in waste and its associated costs had a positive financial impact on Plasticolors. Additional resources
are now available for use in other growth oriented areas of their business. The reduction has also had a positive impact
on Plasticolors' team concept of doing business and it reinforced efforts to involve operators and technicians in the
problem solving process. Plasticolors has strengthened its relationship with the local community in which it is located.
Source: Case found in Enviro$enSe: {http.7/es.inel.gov/techinfo/case/comm/ plastico.html}.
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B. Generic Technological Options
Generic Technological Option #1: Vapor Degreasing
{SIC-range = (34,35,36,37)}
Use of cm aqueous wash system eliminates completely the use of 1,1,1 TCA in degreasing
The full of description of the technology is given in the following attachment.
Source: Case was provided by the RREL and the Center of Clean Products of the University of
Tennessee
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DEMONSTRATIONS OF ALTERNATIVES FOR VAPOR DEGREASERS
Dean Manke - Center for Clean Products
Rupy Sawhney - Department of Industrial Engineering
University of Tennessee
327 South Stadium Hall
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0710
(615)974-8879
INTRODUCTION
I ,
The "Cleaner Technology Demonstrations for the 33/50 Chemicals" is a cooperative agreement
project between the Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies and the U.S. EPA. Though
originally designed to support the 33/50 Program, the results of this RREL-funded research will have a
broad range of applications within industry and offer pollution prevention benefits beyond the 33/50 goals.
The overall objective of this project is to evaluate substitutes of the 33/50 chemicals in order to encourage
reductions in their use and release within specified priority use clusters. Priority use clusters, identified in
the "Product Side of Pollution Prevention: Evaluating Safe Substitutes for the 33/50 Chemicals" report, are
products and/or processes that consume a significant fraction of the 33/50 chemicals (1). The first
evaluation, presented here, focused on the metal and parts decreasing priority use cluster and specifically
substitutes for solvent degreasing processes that eliminate the use of the chlorinated degreasing solvent
dtchloromethane, tetrachloroethylene, 1,1,1 -trichloroethane, and trichloroethylene.
In this study the Center for Clean Products worked directly with an industry partner to demonstrate
substitute feasibility and to gain actual industrial information. Calsonic Manufacturing Corporation (CMC) is
aggressively pursuing less polluting alternatives to solvent degreasing and agreed to participate as the
Center's industrial partner to demonstrate solvent degreasing substitutes. CMC manufacturers automotive
parts included heaters, blowers, cooling units, motor fans, radiators, auxiliary oil coolers, and exhaust
systems. Over the past four years, CMC had evaluated and implemented a number of environmental
improvements to completely eliminate 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) from their degreasing processes. This
research focused on two of these improvements: an aqueous wash system which replaced five vapor
degreasers of the radiator manufacturing line, and a no-clean processing alternative (i.e., application of an
evaporative lubricant which does not require cleaning for subsequent processing) which eliminated two
vapor degreasers of the condenser manufacturing line.
METHODOLOGY .
The technical, environmental, economic, and national impact evaluations performed for the
aqueous wash system and no-clean alternatives employed at the CMC facility had the following specific
objectives:
1. technical evaluation
o evaluated the substitutes' effects on process and product performance as
compared to the solvent degreasing processes
2. environmental evaluation .
o evaluated the releases and off-site transfers of the 33/50 chemicals in the
production process compared to the substitutes' chemical releases and transfers
3. economic evaluation
o evaluated the costs, traditional and nontraditional, of the substitutes as compared
to the 33/50 chemicals
4. national evaluation
o evaluated and compared the overall life-cycle national environmental impacts of
replacing the 33/50 chemicals with the substitutes
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Data required to perform the technical, environmental, and economic evaluations were collected
from CMC through data request tables, site visits, and interviews with CMC employees. Data request
tables, completed by CMC employees and during site visits, allowed for the collection of process
information including capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, utilities consumption, and production
data. Questions concerning generation rates and disposal costs of waste (hazardous and non-hazardous)
and wastewater accompanied the data request tables, as well as questions concerning permitting
requirements. Tables and questions were directed at operations both before and after the process
changes.
Site visits and interviews allowed Center staff to become familiar with the day-to-day operations of
each CMC manufacturing line of interest. This information was used to extend the traditional economic
evaluation by using activity-based cost accounting. Activity-based cost accounting specifically identifying the
frequencies, durations, costs, and possible chemical emissions for every activity required to operate and
maintain the solvent degreasers and alternative systems. Direct manufacturing activities, as well as indirect
support activities (e.g., paper work, waste management, supervision) were identified and included in the
evaluation.
These evaluations of CMC, supplemented by on-line databases and literature sources, were used
to estimate the national environmental impacts that could occur if entire industrial sectors replaced solvent
degreasing systems with the alternatives.
RESULTS
. . f .
For this study, process and product performance were used as the two parameters to evaluate the
technical feasibility of the alternative cleaning systems. As part of a.continuous manufacturing line, the
cleaning process (or no-clean alternative) has the potential to influence both of these parameters. Process
performance was defined as the rate of production. Product performance was based on the part reject-rate
per unit of production, which was determined from the leak test records of every unit manufactured. The
production and part reject-rates when the solvent degreasing processes were on-line were used as the
baseline for comparisons with the alternative processes.
Production rates and part reject-rates were both established through historical records and
employee interviews. Evaluation of this data revealed that the production rate of either process line
(radiator or condenser) was not affected by the change to the alternative system. Neither was the part
reject-rate of the condenser line, both before and after the process change to the no-clean alternative. The
part reject-rate for the radiator line, however, did significantly decrease after the aqueous wash system was
installed. By implementing the aqueous wash system, and through the efforts of a Radiator Task Force
established by CMC, the leak detection rate of the radiator line was decreased nearly 77 percent.
Though the alternative processes eliminated TCA releases arid transfers from the.radiator and
condenser process lines, other chemical releases and transfers resulted from their implementation.
Therefore, it was necessary to evaluate multiple media (land, air, and water), as well as hazardous and
nonhazardous wastestreams, to capture the full impact of the changes to the alternative processes.
Air releases and off-site transfers/reported to the 1992 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), were the
predominant releases and transfers of TCA from CMC's manufacturing facility. Table 1, below, t.
summarizes these releases and transfers, and shows how they decreased over the past four years. TRI
only requires facilities to report total releases and transfers of a chemical, not process-by-process releases
or transfers. Therefore, specifically identifying the contribution to the overall reductions from either the
radiator or condenser process lines was not possible. However, chemical use records for these process
lines, and employee interviews establish the following estimates:
1. the radiator process lirte, consuming 250,400 Ib."of TCA for solvent degreasing in 1990,
released 115,000 lb./yr. in 1990, 86,800 lb./yr. in 1991, and 0 lb./yr. in 1992; and
2. the condenser process line, consuming 88,500 Ib. of TCA for sojvent degreasing in 1992,
released 75,500 lb./yr. in 1992, and 0 lb./yr. in 1994. .
The implementation of these alternatives eliminated this consumption of TCA and the releases and
transfers associated with its use.
39
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The implementation of the aqueous wash system for the radiator line, however, generated an
,8,400 gallon/day water wastestream. Treated at an on-site pretreatment facility, this wastewater represents
a significant waste management change. A nonhazardous, oily wastestream, skimmed from the surface of
the aqueous wash reservoirs, was also a newly generated wastestream of the aqueous wash system. The
no-clean alternative, by applying an evaporative lubricant to eliminate the need for parts cleaning,
generated a new source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions to air. Based on lubricant
consumption records, and assuming 100 percent evaporation, approximately 4,000 pounds/year (1.7
pounds/day) of volatile organics are emitted to the air from this alternative process.
" ' i'" ,''
TABLE 1. CMC TRI-REPORTED RELEASES AND TRANSFERS OF TCA
Year
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994*
TCA Air Emissions
(lb./yr.)
425,756
194,622
176,239
89,446
66,800
Percent Change
_ .
-54.3
-9.4
-49.8
-25.3
TCA Off-Site
Transfers (lta./yr.)
233,530
338,525
206,345
194,975
109,000
Percent Change
45.0
-39.0
-5.5
-44.1
* Values estimated from eleven months of TCA purchase records and trends of previous years
The traditional economic evaluation, results of which are presented in Table 2, indicated return on
investments in as little as 0.3 years (CMC-determined Rl for the condenser line). The activity-based costs
accounting economic evaluation had not been complete at the time of this abstract publication. However,
initial review of the activities recorded during site visits to CMC identified significant differences in the
required activities between the solvent degreasing processes and those of the alternative systems. These
differences centered around two operations: one being the activities required to manage toxic chemicals
and toxic waste; the other was the costs associated with the treatment of the aqueous system's wastewater.
These results will be available by the time of the presentation, and copies of the methodology and results
will be available.
TABLE 2 - COMPARISON OF SPECIFIC TRADITIONAL COSTS
Costs
Capital investment
Chemical Costs
Waste Disposal
Radiator
Degreasers >
not avail.
$182,490
$20,000
Aqueous System
$463,585
$21,400
$12,430
Condenser
Degreasers
not avail.
$67,040
$13,735
Evap.Lube.
$44,000
$4,720
$0
Chemical releases and transfers occur through out their life cycles: from their production, use, and
disposal. Significant changes in these emissions can occur if entire industrial sectors were to implement
alternatives to solvent degreasing similar to those of CMC. Therefore, a life-cycle, multi-media .approach to
the national environmental impact evaluation was used to capture the overall environmental impacts of the
alternatives.
40
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Production facility releases and transfers of the chlorinated degreasing chemicals, in TRI reporting
year 1992, totaled 1,286,823 Ib. An estimated 34 percent of the chlorinated solvents produced in the U.S.
were used in solvent degreasing applications in 1992 (2). Using a life-cycle approach, some fraction of the
production emissions may be attributed to solvent degreasing: 34 percent to the production releases,
establishing the potential upper boundary, equaled 440,000 Ib. The EPA estimates that 24,500 solvent
degreasers were operational in 1992 within the US (3). These solvent degreasers consumed approximately
440 million pounds of chlorinated solvents. Based on this information, the EPA also established a 1992 air
emission baseline from these 24,500 solvent degreasers at 283.5 million pounds (4). Eliminating the use of
chlorinated chemicals in solvent degreasing processes would greatly reduce^or eliminate these emissions,
both associated production releases and transfers, as well as the use and disposal releases and transfers.
Phase-out regulations for TCA will reduce the use and releases/transfers of TCA regardless of the degree
of which these alternatives are implemented.
The alternatives to solvent degreasing also have life cycle environmental releases and transfers.
Aqueous detergents may include in their formulations surfactants, saponifiers, chelators, corrosion
inhibitors, and stabilizers. Specific examples from each of these additive classes were analyzed. Disposal
of the water wastestreams may have significant effects on publicly owned treatment works (POTW). The
POTW infrastructure of the nation was evaluated, and the potential impact the aqueous wash systems have
on the infrastructure was established. A similar life-cycle approach was used to evaluate the mineral-
spirits-based evaporative lubricants.
CONCLUSIONS
A significant number of studies are being conducted, or have been completed, which evaluate the
effectiveness of cleaning alternatives. These studies primarily focus on one of the four evaluations
performed in this study; little integration of all potential issues is attempted. This cooperative agreement
with EPA expands the existing knowledge of alternatives to solvent degreasing by integrating technical,
environmental, and economic issues, as well .as addressing the life-cycle attributes of the alternatives on a
national scale.
The technical feasibility of CMC's process changes has proven to be positive. Significant
reductions in toxic chemical releases and transfers were a result of the process changes, while other
wastestreams were generated which required different management schemes. The traditional economic
evaluation of this study did not reveal any unique conclusions. However, the activity-based cost accounting
method did identify the costs associated with managing toxic chemicals and wastes, costs normally
absorbed by the company as overhead. Finally, the national impact evaluation identified the importance of
a life-cycle approach to evaluate pollution prevention projects. Though the alternatives evaluated in this
research eliminate chlorinated chemical emissions, there are new wastestreams and constituents that must
be addressed.
REFERENCES ,
1. Product Side of Pollution Prevention: Evaluating Safe Substitutes of the 33/50 Chemicals,
EPA/600/R-94/178, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development,
September 1994.
2. Product Side of Pollution Prevention: Evaluating Safe Substitutes of the 33/50 Chemicals,
EPA/600/R-94/178, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development,
September 1994. .
3. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Halogenated Solvent Cleaning -
Background Information Document, EPA-453/R-93-054, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
41
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Generic Technological Option #2: Zero-discharge metal plating systems
{SIC-range = (34, 35,391)}
In process waslewater purification and metal recovery in the metal plating process at a jewelry manufacturing SME
The full of description of the technology is given in the following attachment.
Source: The technology was presented in the Spring 1993 issue of the Pollution Prevention News.
42
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Reprinted from EPA's Pollution Prevention News, Spring 1993
Case Study
Moving Towards Zero
Our approach to solving
pollution, prevention problems in
this country is showing a gradual
shift from ead-of-pipe controls to
front-end reduction of strategies.
The next logical step? Closing the
loop entirely. As innovations at
the Robbins Awards Co. of
Atdeboro, Massachusetts show,
getting rid of pollution is not some
environmental pipe dream; the
company's closed-loop production
system proves that reduced use and
zero discharge of toxics are .-
technically feasible objectives that
can translate into significant
savings.
Robbins is a medium-sized
company that designs and
manufactures custom jewelry and
awards. Production of these goods
involves a metal plating process
famous for high levels'of pollution;
the process is chemical intensive,
requires high volumes of water,
and produces huge quantities of
wastewater residuals.
Robbins zero discharge
system, installed in 1988, involves
two subsystems: wastewater
purification and metal recovery.
These two units have reduced the
company's water usage by 48
percent, chemical usage by 82
percent, and production of metal
hydroxide sludge by 99.8 percent,
from 4,000 gallons per year in 1986
to seven gallons in 1988.
Installation of the system cost the
company $120,000, plus $100,000
for a new wing to house the units.
Overall savings average $71,000 per
year, the investment was repaid in
fuE after three years.
A combination of factors
spurred Robbins to explore the
zero discharge option. A 1985
study_of the Ten Mile River
identified Robbins as one of the
river's major polluters. As a result,
the State's Office of Technical
Assistance (OTA) held a series of
pollution reduction workshops.
OTA's message convinced
Robbins' environmental manager,
Paul Clark, to substantially reduce,
the company's water usage, from
12 to 15,000 gallons per day to
only 2,500 gpd.
Then in January 1987, EPA
and state officials announced strict
new pollution restrictions based on
the 1985 report. In addition,
MassPIRG filed a lawsuit stating
that Robbins had violated its
wastewater discharge permit limits
repeatedly from 1981 to 1987,
translating into 2,500 violations,
withpotential fines of up to $30
million. (MassPIRG put the suit
on hold while Robbins made the
transition to closed-loop
production, and dropped the case
after the company demonstrated
that it had achieved zero discharge
in 1988.)
As Clark explored the
feasibility "of a closed-loop system,
pollution control suppliers told
him, "it can't be done." The state
OTA agreed to visit the company,
and came up with specific ideas on
how a closed-loop system might
work. Now it was up to Clark to
convince top management that the
closed-loop system was the most
cost-effective way to bring the
company into compliance with the
strict new discharge requirements.
The numbers were clear, but the
system had never before been tried.
Seniors managers agreed to Clark's
proposal with some hesitation, but
have since become forceful
advocates of toxics use reduction. -
"Companies have to become
effective in. dealing with
environmental.issues," says
Robbins' Executive Vice-President
John Bradley.- "The ones that
don't are going to be paying huge
fines and penalties - they won't be
in business by the year 2000.
Other companies are showing
growing interest-in the Robbins
approach. Crucial ingredients to
Robbins' success include technical
support from the state, a citizens'
group threatening legal sanctions,
strict federal requirements, and an
innovative, persistent advocate for
change within the company.
According to Bradley, the major
hurdle to overcome is fear of risk.
"Upper management has to be
flexible," he says. "They can't shut
anything out just because it hasen't
been done before."
For more information,
contact John Camera, Facilities
Manager, Robbins Co., 400 O'Neil
Blvd., Atdeboro, MA 02703: Tel:
508-222-2900.
This article is reprinted from The
What Works Bulletin, a bi-monthly
publication highlighting
outstanding environmental action.
What Works is published by The
Environmental Exchange, a
national nonprofit organization
accelerating environmental action
by sharing information about
what's working to protect the
environment. To exchange
information about successful
environmental initiatives, contact
The Environmental Exchange,
1930 18th Street N.W., #24,
Washington, DC 20009; Tel: 202-
387-2182.
43
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Generic Technological Option #3: Paint Removal
SIC-range = (28,35,36,37)
A cryogenic process for paint removal from steel structures, using liquid nitrogen instead of acids orpyrolithic oven
Cleaner Production Principle: Material substitution
Description of P2 Application:
The process for paint removal is based on liquid nitrogen's ability to quicken cooling. The differing rates at which the
material of the structure and paint coat contract results in cracks in the paint. By means of mechanical action me paint
coat is then removed. The resulting solid waste can be used for the production of plastic objects. The objects to be
treated are placed in a tank containing liquid nitrogen (-196 °C); the removal process can be realized in a continuous
and completely automated plant. Conventional processes utilize acid dripping or pyrolitic ovens and produce pollutants.
Liquid nitrogen, chemically inert, is already in the atmosphere and can be obtained at low cost. This type of process
docs not produce liquid waste. The solid waste that is produced can be recovered and utilized to produce plastic
objects. Existing plant capacity is 2500 Kg/h of objects to be treated. The technology has been fully implemented and
in operation since 1990. It is covered by a patent.
Economics: Referring to 2.500 Kg/h of treated objects the investment cost is $220,000 to $250,000. Payback time is
1/1.5 year.
Advantages: In addition to the benefits outlined above, nitrogen is a comparatively low cost raw material and the objects
processed by this technology have a life span five times longer compared to those produced by other processes.
Although this process has a high productivity until 3.000 Kg/h, this is not a constraint for an SMB.
Source: The UNEPICPIC database.
44
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Generic Technological Option #4: Solvent Substitution in Paints
{SIC-range = (285, 34,35, 36,37)}
Substitution of solvent based paint-with powdered paints minimizes organic solvent emissions
Cleaner Production Class: substitute less toxic raw material
Industry Class: surface finishing, cleaning, and coating
Clean Technology Category: This clean technology scheme involves the utilization of powdered paints instead of
solvent based liquid paints. .
PROCESS AMD WASTE INFORMATION: A fixture manufacturing facility in Landskrona, Sweden utilized a mineral
oil based cutting oil for metalworking. Manufactured components were then degreased using trichloroethylene solvent.
Solvent based paints were utilized in the final finishing of parts.
The use of powdered paints results in reduced organic solvent vapor emissions and reduced operating costs.
SCALE OF OPERATION:
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT:
LEVEL OF COMMERCIALIZATION:
400,000 pieces/yr.
Clean technology is fully implemented.
Clean technology is fully commercialized.
MATERIAL BALANCES:
Material Category
Waste Generation:
Trichloroethylerle vapor:
Mineral Solvent vapor:
Wastewater:
Feedstock Use:
Water Use:
Energy Use:
Quantity Before Quantity After
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
5 tons/yr. less than before
30 tons/yr. less than before
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
COSTS: Investoent for system for powdered painting was $383,000. No other investment costs provided. Operating
costs for powder painting is $415,800/yr less than for solvent based painting.
Thus, the Payback for painting system changeover investment was less than 1 year. ,
P2 BENEFITS: New processes minimiy.es organic solvent emissions, costs associated with solvent purchase and ,
waste disposal greatly reduced. Further, workplace exposure to solvents is prevented. In addition, new system
facilitates continuing compliance with air pollution standards.
SOURCE: Siljebratt, Lars et al; Forebyggande miljoskyddssstrategi och miljoanpassad teknik i Landskrona, etapp 2.
ISSN 0281 5753 {From the UNEPICPIC database}.
45
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III. Innovative Delivery Mechanisms for P2 Technology Transfer [Task 6] *
The sixth task of the project is to identify innovative delivery mechanisms for the transfer of technical
information and assistance related to P2 technologies to needy firms. These might include expert systems,
data-bases and written information.
In this section we (1) describe currently existing outreach and technology-transfer mechanisms ("platforms"),
(2) identify and assess ongoing developments in the area, and (3) develop recommendations for innovative
mechanisms for P2 technology transfer to needy firms.
We describe the existing electronic and non-electronic sources with particular focus on "platforms" that seem
promising for our specific task. The currently existing EPA infrastructure is of particular interest in the
following discussion. We have chosen not to focus on the present weaknesses of EPA in institutionalizing P2
in information management, since significant EPA initiatives are ongoing. Reference [28] gives an insightful
description of EPA's organizational problems, while reference [29] addresses the shortcomings of a very
significant EPA outreach mechanism, the Toxics Release Inventory; the discussion relevant to Task 6 in [29]
focuses on the Database Maintenance/Standardization and the Data distribution. At this point, a mere
description and understanding of the current outlook is all we seek.
A. Non-electronic Information Sources
1. EPA Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC)
The objectives of this clearinghouse are, to:
. establish government and industry P2 programs
identify technical process options to reduce pollution
Contact: (202)260-1023
2. US EPA Small Business Ombudsman Clearinghouse
The services provided are: "small business P2 grants, general assistance to small business seeking to
comply with EPA regulations." This clearinghouse has significant experience with SMEs. This
already-established channel of communication may be useful for technology transfer purposes.
Contact: (800) 368-5888 ,
3. Center for Hazardous Materials Research (CHMR) at the University of Pittsburgh Applied
Research Center .
The Center collects information on hazardous waste minimization, P2; distributes related
publications and provides training. Contact: (412)826-5320
* This chapter is based on information gathered as of June 15,1995. Months later, the Internet-related sources of
Environmental information had mushroomed. However, we believe that the essence of this discussion remains accurate.
47
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4. State Agency Initiatives , .
These programs, that are discussed in more detail in Chapter II, include:
NEWMOA; MA OTA; Connecticut Technical Assistance Program (ConnTap); MinTAP; New
Hampshire P2 program [which promotes the WasteCap Interactive computer model-WICM, a
software program to help business with recycling]; RI Office of Environmental Coordination;
Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation; Maine DEP & Waste Management Agency.
5. The Technology Transfer Center at TURI
I ': ' "
This is a "model" clearinghouse and research library specialized on toxics use reduction and P2. The
center offers a variety of tools to access practical information in P2:
(a) a research library searchable through the INMAGIC library software
(b) external databases:
North East States PP Database
Technical information from the Great Lakes Region states clearinghouses
Vendinfo, a .vendor database from Great Lakes Region states
clearinghouses
The Rhode Island database of Vendors
The US EPA Solvent Alternatives Guide (SAGE)
(c) several databases on CD ROM, including "TOMES" (a database describing chemical toxicity
and handling from Micromedix) and the "1987-1992 TRI data."
B. Electronic Information Sources - "Traditional"
1. Government-related
a. EPA Pollution Prevention Electronic Information Exchange System (PIES)
The features of this system pertinent to our study are:
Industry-specific information packets. These include successful case studies
and process-specific factsheets.
Information on relevant Conferences and workshops.
b. Strategic Waste Minimization Initiative (SWAMP:
Software developed by EPA for P2 and materials tracking in industrial facilities.
2. Non government-related initiatives
a. TECHINFO :
Bibliographic Database available on diskette from the Solid & Hazardous Waste Education
Center, Wisconsin. (608)262-6250
b.RILBY
Bibliographic Database available on diskette from the Waste Reduction Resource Center, North
Carolina. (800)476-8686
48
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C. New Trends in Electronic Information Sources: The Internet Era
1. Government sources
a. EPA on the INTERNET
EPA has recently started a Web-site that has useful links to various data sources pertinent to our
goals: .
TRI Data: Toxic Release Inventory documents. The data manipulation is not yet
easy. One is better off by ordering the CD. When the TRI database acquires a user-friendly GUI
(graphical user interface), the number of its users and the quality of the data analysis are
expected to significantly improve.
EPA-TOX: All the non-TRI documents of the OPPT.
b. National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
This service is a self-supporting Federal agency under the Technology Administration - US
DOC. They are mainly known for the Fedworld0 system. One of the fields of their
specialization is Technology Transfer (namely, patent licensing and technology descriptions).
Also, they are very successful as providers for Training Audiovisual Services. Currently, there
exists an ongomg partnership between NTIS and EPA OERR for the dissemination of
Superfund-related information. [These services are not free of charge]
Contact person; Pat McNutt, Marketing Director (703) 487-4812
c. Toxicology Data Network (TOXNED ,
This is a computerized system of files oriented to toxicology and related areas. TOXNET is
available via INTERNET in the address "TOXNET.NLM.NIH.GOV", and among others it
offers the complete TRI data.
d. The Alaska Technology Transfer Assistance Center
This effort may become the model for static, i.e., non-interactive, technology transfer to SMEs.
Essentially it offers all the bibliographic information needed to assess a technology. It also gives
the pertinent information for licensing patented technologies. At a later stage this effort could be
enriched so as to offer customized information for the specific needs of the interested SMEs,
either through an expert system, or through a built-in dynamic simulator to calculate the actual
- environmental and economic results of the adaptation of a P2 technology to the specific needs of
the interested SMB. .
.{Internet-Address: http://www.pblarnet.com}
49
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2. Non-business sources (NGO's etc)
An ever-increasing number of user-groups is launching environment-oriented lists. For our
purposes the only interesting case is ECONET. A service (not for free) provided by "The
Institute of Global Communications," it provides access to international bulletin boards &
electronic conferences, and databases such as the Environmental Gatemakers Association
directory and the Sierra Club National News report.
3. Business Homepages
1 ^ ' !
Many companies are launching homepages in the Internet either for public relation reasons (see
Monsanto) or to provide better customer service (e.g., GE Plastics). We mention the existence of
these homepages as a clear indication that the Internet will be a critical field for business-related
communication activity very shortly. The Monsanto site is very interesting because it contains a
complete example for "the development of an integrated in-situ Remediation Technology." This is
the best example we found in the area of a static (i.e., non-interactive) model for technology transfer.
The GE Plastics site is important because it is the first case of a big chemical concern conducting
business through the Internet. If this trend expands, then Internet will cease to be a terra incognita
for the SMEs since they will have to conduct business (e.g., as subcontractors) through this medium.
This is a critical issue, because one of our main concerns is that due to "cultural barriers" many
SMEs will not have access to an innovative and powerful Internet-based platform. A general
discussion of the current technological trends in the area of telecommunications and their impact in
scientific sectors like Chemistry and Process/Environmental Engineering are presented in [30].
D. Presentation and critique of identified promising platforms
1. EnviroSense {http://www.epa.gov/envirosense}
EnviroSense is an interagency Internet-based system funded by EPA and the Strategic Environmental
Research & Development Program. The Internet site is maintained and operated by the Idaho
National Engineering Laboratory. The description of EnviroSense in the web-page is the following:
"EnviroSense, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Strategic Environmental
Research and Development Program, allows those implementing pollution prevention programs
or developing research and development projects to benefit from the experience, progress, and
knowledge of their peers. EnviroSense includes a pollution prevention forum for all levels of
government, researchers, industry, and public interest groups.
EnviroSense has been developed to host an expert architecture known as the Solvent Umbrella.
The Solvent Umbrella will allow users to access solvent alternative information through a single,
easy-to-use command structure.
50
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The features of Enviro$en$e that are relevant to pollution prevention (symbolized as P2 throughout
the database) are: ,
(1) the Technical/R&D Information section where many cases of innovative pollution
prevention technologies can be found. This section includes the following subsections:
a) P2 Case Studies .
b) P2 Fact Sheets
c) Economic (Capital Finance) Information
d) P2 Industry or Process-Specific
e) P2 Research, Development, and Demonstration
f) P2 Supplementary Environmental Projects (SEP) Database
g) Waste Exchange .
h) Search Pollution Prevention Publications Bibliography
(2) the Solvent Substitution Data Systems section, where users have, access to solvent
alternative information through a single, easy-to-use command structure
The data found in Enviro$en$e are highly specialized, international and go into great depth. EPA is
apparently on the right track, building capacity/expertise for sophisticated technology transfer
mechanisms. We believe that promising P2 technology profiles like the ones we identified in this
report, should be included in that initiative under a section called "P2 technologies suitable for SEPs"
2. An Industrial Assessment Database for Energy Efficiency and P2 f311
{http://OIPEA-WWW.rutgers.edu}
With funding provided by the Office of Industrial Technology of US DOE and EPA PPRB, the
Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center/industrial Assessment Center (EADC/IAC) Program was
established in 1976. EADC/IAC is a service provided to small to medium sized manufacturing
firms, and among other services provides SMEs with assessment recommendations for P2. These
recommendations give detailed engineering design information as well as anticipated savings,
implementation costs and payback calculations. Although the program has a 20 year history, it now
enters its most dynamic and "interactive" phase with the development of a daily updated relational
data base called "EADC/IAC Program Database." This database is administered by the Office of
Industrial Productivity and Energy Assessment (OIPEA) at Rutgers University; and it consists of two
separate datasets:
(1) the Assessment database, which contains information pertaining to each individual
assessment
(2) the Recommendation database, with information pertinent to the specific recommendation
At this point, the effort is to incorporate to both (1) and (2) waste reduction /P2 data. This is
done in an "expert system" mode and the data used refer to the following stream types:
Energy - ; ' - '
Waste reduction
Resource Cost
Production
We were unsuccessful in our effort to get in hold of a manual and a version of the program, thus we
cannot provide a valid assessment of this system. However, in the 21 st RREL symposium the
51
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project managers described their endeavor as follows: "The database reflects the latest in industrial
assessment techniques, energy and waste costs for small to medium size industrial plants."
3. Computer-supported Information System for measuring P2 progress [321
This a research project undertaken by EPA RREL and the objective is "to build an information
system (IS) for P2 which comprises a simulation model of an industrial production and waste
generation system (IPWGS)." An IPWGS model is used to predict waste generation, carry out cost
analysis of already existing waste management practices and after applying appropriate P2 strategies
and technologies measure P2 progress. The selected Data Base Management System is ACCESS
while the dynamic simulation software in ITHINK.
1 '; '
This project may prove critical in the endeavor for constructing an interactive/dynamic transfer
mechanism. Moreover, if this mechanism can be accessed and used through Internet we will have a
very powerful and versatile tool for the promotion of P2 in SMEs.
Our only concern is that although such a system is potentially much more powerful than a static
Homepage (e.g., Monsanto); the current experience shows that interactive simulators (e.g., ASPEN,
CAMEO) are not very user-friendly. Thus, we may end up with frustrated /intimidated SME
managers. Hopefully this latter problem will be effectively addressed through the choice of the rather
"main-stream" programs ACCESS and ITHINK. These Windows-based software programs are
widely used already both in business and in academia (particularly ACCESS) and in addition to their
user-friendliness they do not require very sophisticated and expensive hardware (such as Unix-based
workstations) as the typical Engineering Simulators; on the contrary they can be used in simple PCs.
Again, we would need access to the actual software developed in order to offer a valid assessment of
its potential as a technology-transfer tool.
52
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E. Recommendation .
As we have already indicated in part IV-D, we believe that the Internet possesses the highest
potential to become the main platform of dissemination of environmental information. This is
because the Internet is much more convenient and user-friendly that the modem-accessed bulletin
boards that do not posses a GUI environment, it offers the ability to link to guide the interested
"client" to other sources of information, it is feasible to combine multimedia (e.g., informational
videos or interactive flowcharts) and powerful data search facilities (for efficient, database queries)
and it seems that the users are increasing with such high rates that very soon, the connection to the
Web will be such a cheap and easily implementable activity that even the most unsophisticated SMEs
will be able to afford. , .
hi this light, we propose that EPA OECA post all the promising P2 technology profiles, such as the ,
ones that our research identified, in a web-page in the Enviro$en$e site.
Our only concern is that the quality of the publicly-available information may not be good enough, to
leverage the new medium. As we discuss in other work [8], many of the P2 cases found in PIES,
Enviro$en$e and in the UNEP database, do not have an easily absorbable format and do not contain
vital information on issues such as the worker health and safety aspects of the promoted
technologies. For example
The ease studies found in the above-mentioned databases completely lack information
regarding the interactions of human beings with the production processes, materials, or
products. Process engineers generally do not consider workers or jobs as part of the
production process. From a worker health perspective, this is a serious problem that must be
solved if risk shifting from the environment to people is to be limited.
No information is given regarding the physical or economic context for the processes. It is
very difficult to know what the processes in the PIES system or in the UNEP -ICPIC
database actually looked like with respect to the physical space in which they were located,
the degree of automation, the quality and maintenance status of the equipment, engineering
controls, or administrative practices used to run the processes including shift work. From an
industrial hygiene perspective, it is well-known that the actual conduct of the processes
described in these case studies can vary considerably depending on the economic context and
physical surroundings of the workplace. For example, chemical manufacturing is performed
using practices that range from manual reactor vessel charging, mixing, packaging, and
maintenance to process steps that are almost completely enclosed and automatic. .The same
process under these different conditions could have very different implications for worker
' health. ' . - - '
Limited information is given regarding the physical form of the substances at certain stages
in the process so that should a worker be exposed, the physiologic route of entry cannot be
adequately anticipated. The physical form of substances can occasionally be determined by
knowing process specifications such as temperature and pressure but these process
specifications are not given consistently. Information is lacking about the manner in which
materials are added to a process, maintained, stored and disposed.
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IV. Conclusions
, - s
The conclusions drawn from this project relate to four issues:
! v
A. Value and limitations of the Proposed "Prioritization Methodology"
The methodology developed in the project achieves an appropriate balance between ease of use and
accuracy. Our proposed criteria cover all the important aspects of a comprehensive P2 strategy. We use
toxics data from TRI, economic data from Census reports and (ideally) we would incorporate the EPA
OECA expertise by using IDEA data. We then translate these data into meaningful measures that
describe the environmental performance of the industrial sectors: environmental burden, environmental
, efficiency, economic stagnation, compliance performance, SEP suitability. The main value of this report,
aside from identifying 12 technologies that can be promoted through SEPs, is that it gives the Agency a
' useful framework to further efforts to prioritize and optimally allocate its scarce human resources.
The absence of sufficiently detailed enforcement data affected the quality of the prioritization results.
We urge OECA to improve the access to its IDEA database and to better utilize that database in its
strategic targeting process.
B. Quality of Available Data on P2 . ;
The available data on P2 technologies are not standardized: some sources describe technologies while
others are in a case-study format. Both types of description are usually not complete. The lack of
economic information on the technologies is very common, and -more importantly - very few cases give
clear information on the trade-offs or relation between environmental benefits and occupational health
and safety benefits.
C. The Identified Needy Sectors
The sectors we identified were no surprise, however, weRelieve that the use of enforcement-related
criteria will give even more accurate targeting. It is worthwhile noting that there exists a small number of
generic technologies widely used in many SICs where P2 options are available that can significantly
enhance the environmental profile of many companies. These technologies include alternatives to vapor
degreasing and paint removal. OECA should focus its efforts for SEPs in such technologies, since they
have a large impact in many SICs and they concern secondary/ancillary processes for which companies
are not particularly sensitive/defensive about changing.
It is clear that the TRI data enable us to do very significant analytical work. The more accurate the TRI
data are and the more SICs they cover, the better quality of targeting OECA will achieve.
D. Opportunities for Innovative Transfer Mechanisms
The Internet is the medium of choice.
The content, the format and the level of detail of P2 case studies need improvement.
Innovative software tools can help the state OTAs to leverage their impact in advising needy SMEs or
they may even enable SMEs to choose the best available P2 practices on line.
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V. Future research
Based on the experience acquired in this project we believe that the choice of P2 SEPs would be greatly
enhanced by undertaking further research in the following two areas:
(1) Identify, through a comprehensive targeting system like the one proposed in this report, a small
amount of 4-digit SIC sectors where P2 SEPs can have the biggest impact; acquire very detailed
operational and technical data through field-based P2 data-gathering for the main technologies used
in the sectors and come up with detailed technology profiles. These profiles will then contain much
more information than the information one can. find in a database. The data-gathering should include
information from test runs and full environmental and economic analysis of the results.
(2) Undertake an effort to improve the quality (depth and breadth) of data presented in the P2
databases: very detailed economic documentation, information on multimedia benefits, specific
focus on worker health and safety benefits or trade-offs, implementation horizon, level of
commercialization of the technology, etc. That way, when a SEP is being considered, the parties will
have a very clear understanding of the pros and cons of each technology option (technological,
economic, behavioral, etc). -
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/ ' ' '
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19. R. Noyes: "P2 Technical Handbook," NP 1993.
: ; ] . .
20. H.M. Freeman: "Industrial P2 Handbook," McGraw-Hill 1995.
' . i-
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' i ' ,
I . . .
26. M.H. Dorfinan, W.R. Muir, C.G. Miller: "Environmental Dividends: Cutting More Chemical Wastes,",
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27 J.S. Young, L. Ambrose, L. Lobp: "Stirring Up Innovation. Environmental Improvements in Paints and
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