United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
ORD{RD-681)
Pollution Prevention
Office(PM-219)
EPA Document Number
October 1989
Version 1,0
&EPA Pollution Prevention
In Printing and
Allied Industries
Saving Money Through
Pollution Prevention
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Pollution Prevention
In Printing and Allied Industries
DRAFT
Saving Money
Through Pollution Prevention
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
October 1989
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Preface
Pollution Prevention in Printing and Allied Industries is intended to provide you with a brief introduction
to pollution prevention, including what it is, how it can put money back into your company's pocket, what
its basic elements are, and where you can get additional assistance. This booklet also provides a sample
of the various technical options available to a wide range of printing and allied facilities. Typical economics
(for example, capital investment, annual savings, and payback periods) are also provided for many of the
options.
The technical and economic information in Pollution Prevention in Printing and Allied Industries is
intended to be representative more than comprehensive. The collection and organization of this information
is an ongoing and evolutionary process. The first version of this booklet reflects a sampling of information
readily available at the time of preparation. As more pollution prevention activity takes place and technical
approaches to pollution prevention change, EPA hopes to update and publish follow-up versions of this
booklet.
Pollution Prevention in Printing and Allied Industires is only one of many sources of pollution prevention
information available to you from EPA. For additional information about pollution prevention, or to
comment on this booklet, call:
The RCRA/Superfund Hotline, at (800) 424-9346, or
(202) 382-3000;
Myles Morse, of EPA's Pollution Prevention Information
Clearinghouse, at (202) 475-7161; or
James Lounsbury, Director of EPA's Waste Minimization
Staff, at (202) 382-4807.
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The Purpose of this Booklet
If your printing and allied industry operations generate any wastes, the information in this booklet
can help your firm.
POLLUTION PREVENTION CAN:
Significantly reduce your firm's costs, liabilities, and
regulatory burdens associated with waste management; and
Enhance your firm's efficiency, product quality, and public
image.
Hes
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this booklet to help your
firm implement a pollution prevention program. It highlights the various components of a pollution
prevention program. It also provides two tables to help you identify specific pollution prevention options,
based on the types of processes or operations at your facility. The tables contain technical, cost, and waste
reduction information on a variety of options that have actually been used at printing and allied facilities.
The information contained in the tables will help you evaluate potential annual savings from numerous
pollution prevention techniques.
PRINTING AND ALLIED PROCESSES INCLUDE:
Preparation
-- Typesetting
-- Lithography
-- Letterpress
-- Gravure
'-- Engraving (stationery)
-- Photoengraving:
Printing ':.;/
-- Heatset Lithography
-- Non-Heatset Lithography
- Thermography
- Business Form Printing
- Sheeted Lithography
- Letterpress Printing (including
": flexography)
Gravure Printing
Finishing Operations
-- Looseleaf Binding Manufacturing
-- Trade Binding
- Book Binding
-- In-House Binding
-- Magazine and Catalog Binding
The Information in this Booklet
Will Be Helpful to Your Company
This booklet is designed to be most useful to
firms that engage in printing operations. You
should read this booklet if your firm is involved
in printing, or if it is involved in printing-related
processes.
This booklet will be useful if your facility uses
any materials resulting in the generation of
hazardous or non-hazardous wastes. Table I
identifies many of the materials typically used by
printing and allied facilities and Table II shows
what many of these facilities have done to save
money.
a
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Your Company Can Save Money by
Minimizing the Waste it Generates
In addition to relying on traditional waste
management approaches (such as treating or dis-
posing of waste after it has been generated), many
facility managers are finding that by minimizing
the amount of waste their operations generate
they can actually improve their firm's "bottom
line."
POLLUTION PREVENTION REDUCES:
Aggregate costs for raw materials
Treatment/disposal costs
Environmental liability and fines
In addition to these economic incentives for
pollution prevention, EPA is taking several steps
to create additional incentives for firms to reduce
their waste generation. Some of EPA's actions
include:
Making technical information available to
help firms identify ways of reducing waste
generation.
Supporting the development of State
programs to assist firms in their waste
reduction efforts.
Requiring hazardous waste generators,
under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), to certify on their
hazardous waste manifests and annual
permit reports that they have a "program-
in-place" to reduce the volume or quantity
and toxicity of their hazardous wastes as
much as economically practical.
Requiring generators to describe on their
RCRA biennial reports the efforts they
have undertaken during the year to reduce
the volume and toxicity of their hazardous
waste, and to compare these efforts to
previous years.
What is "Pollution Prevention?"
Pollution prevention emphasizes reducing or
eliminating any releases of hazardous materials
(including hazardous wastes) into the environment
through the use of source reduction and
environmentally-sound recycling. A pollution
prevention program can be developed by any
business that generates wastes. The program
might include several elements intended to reduce,
to the extent feasible, any air or water discharges,
or any solid or hazardous waste that is generated
at the facility.
DRAFT
Source reduction is intended to minimize or
eliminate the waste at its source, before it is
generated or released. Recycling, on the other
hand, focuses on the use, reuse, or reclamation of
the waste as an effective substitute for a
commercial product or as an ingredient or
feedstock in a process. Recycling by use or reuse
involves returning a waste material to either the
originating process or another process as a
substitute for an input material. Reclamation is
the recovery of a valuable material, or removal of
impurities, from a waste.
POLLUTION PREVENTION TERMS
Pollution Prevention - Reducing or eliminating
discharges and/or emissions to the environment
through the use of source reduction and
environmentally-sound recycling.
Source Reduction - Reducing or elimi-nating
waste at its point of generation.
Recycling - Reprocessing waste in a way that
makes it useful again. Recycling focuses on the
use, reuse, or reclamation -of waste.
Use or Reuse - Returning a waste material to
the original process that generated the waste or
employing it in another process as a substitute
for an input material.
Reclamation - Recovering valuable mat-erials
or removing impurities from a waste.
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Because it is significantly more efficient and
less expensive to prevent the generation of waste
in the first place, you should consider source
reduction to be the most preferable waste
management option. Source reduction is followed,
in order of decreasing preference, by recycling,
treatment (for example, incineration or
stabilization), and land disposal.
Many Pollution Prevention Options Are Available
A pollution prevention program might include
any number of specific pollution prevention
techniques, each with a potentially unlimited range
of pollution prevention options. The options
under each technique that may be appropriate to
your operation are limited only by your ingenuity.
Table II provides suggested pollution prevention
options that have actually been used in industry.
The options are organized by technique. You
should use these suggested options only as a
starting point for your own creativity. Pollution
prevention techniques are described below:
Training and supervision -- involves
providing employees with the information
and the incentive necessary to effectively
minimize waste generation.
This technique may include ensuring
that employees know and practice
proper and efficient use of equipment
and supplies, and that they are aware
of, understand, and support your
company's waste minimization goals.
Production planning and sequencing
requires planning and sequencing your
production so that only necessary opera-
tions are performed and that no operation
is needlessly "undone" by a following
operation.
For example, scheduling printing runs
from lighter colors to darker ones in
order to reduce the amount of
equipment cleaning required between
color changes.
Process or equipment modification involves
changing the process, or the parameters or
equipment used in that process, to reduce
the amount of waste generated.
For instance, you can reduce ink loses
through vaporization by using
diaphragm pumps instead of
;echanical vane pumps to reduce
temperatures, or using high
pressure/low volume water sprays to
clean ink vats instead of detergents.
Raw material substitution
involves
replacing existing raw materials with raw
materials that will result in the generation
of less hazardous waste.
Examples include using water-based
inks instead of solvent-based ones for
flexographic and rotogravure printing,
using ultraviolet (UV)-curable inks
that do not require solvents, and using
iron-EDTA bleaches instead of
ferrocyanide bleaches to avoid cyanide
generation.
Loss prevention and housekeeping involves
performing preventative maintenance and
managing equipment and materials in such
a way as to minimize the opportunities for
leaks, spills, and other releases of potential-
ly hazardous wastes.
For example, storing light and heat
sensitive materials in a place where
they will not spoil, managing
inventories of time sensitive materials
so as to avoid expiration of shelf-lives,
and installing curtains around printing
areas to contain fugitive air emissions.
Waste segregation and separation -- involves
avoiding the mixing of different types of
hazardous wastes, and avoiding the mixing
of hazardous wastes with non-hazardous
wastes. This technique will facilitate the
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recovery of hazardous wastes by minimiz-
ing the number of different hazardous con-
stituents in any given waste stream and
avoiding the contamination of non-
hazardous wastes.
DRAFT
This technique includes segregating
waste inks by color and waste solvents
by type.
Recycling -- involves the use or reuse of a
hazardous waste as an effective substitute
for a commercial product or as an
ingredient or feedstock. This use or reuse
can be on-site, or it can be by another user
or through a waste exchange.
Examples of recycling include
recovering etching wastes, using waste
inks to make black or a house color,
and silver or solvent recovery.
The Elements of a Successful
Pollution Prevention Program
Experience demonstrates that successful
pollution prevention programs have certain
common elements. These elements are described
below:
Suppon from top management -- Support for
a pollution prevention program should be
clearly affirmed by your top management in
a written statement. This statement should
be circulated among all employees.
Explicit program goals and objectives
Explicitly identify the goals and objectives
for the pollution prevention program in a
written statement. The goals should
include reducing the volume or toxicity of
the waste as much as is technically and
economically feasible. The objectives
should include a commitment to evaluate
technologies, procedures, and personnel
training.
Accurate waste accounting Carefully track
changes over time in the types, amounts,
and hazardous constituents of your wastes.
Accurate cost accounting - Ensure that your
firm uses "fully-loaded" costs when
accounting for waste management and
disposal (i.e., costs should account for all
liability, regulatory compliance, permitting,
hauling, treatment, and oversight costs).
Involvement of all employees -- Involve all
appropriate employees in pollution
prevention planning and implementation.
You can use rewards and incentives to en-
courage employee involvement.
Exchange of technology and information
Encourage exchange of technology and
information both within your firm and
between your firm and others. Firms often
contain a wealth of resources and
information that results from years of
operating experience. Such resources and
information can play a major role in the
efficient development of a pollution
prevention program. Other organizations
you should consult include EPA Region's
and Headquarter's pollution prevention
information clearinghouses, state agencies,
trade associations, universities and colleges,
nonprofit business assistance organizations,
and professional consultants.
Periodic pollution prevention assessments -
Periodically review individual processes (or
facilities) to identify new or changing
opportunities to undertake pollution
prevention.
Basically, you should develop your own
program for pollution prevention, and wherever
possible, formally define the program in a written
document. You should also develop an
implementation plan for each of your facilities or
processes and periodically review, revise, and
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update the program to reflect changing conditions.
You will need a method of tracking changes in
waste generation rates and accounting for sources
of waste. Establishing an effective pollution
prevention program is not difficult, but it does
require commitment from you and all of your
firm's employees, including corporate management.
Where To Go For Information and Help
While it is important that you be actively
involved in establishing and promoting your firm's
pollution prevention program, you may wish to
seek the guidance or help of other experts. Some
organizations that you may wish to contact
include:
Trade Associations
Often trade
associations can provide you with pollution
prevention assistance directly, or they can
refer you to someone who can.
State Waste Management Agencies - These
agencies often have staff people who are
knowledgeable about pollution prevention
and are willing to provide assistance.
Regional Environmental Protection Agency
Offices - There are ten Regional Offices
of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The easiest way to find out which Regional
Office is responsible for your area is to call
the toll free RCRA/Superfund Hotline (see
below) and ask for the telephone number
or address of the Regional Office respon-
sible for your area.
Environmental Protection Agency Within
EPA Headquarters you may conveniently
contact any of the following information
sources:
Hazardous Waste Minimization Staff, at (202)
382-4807, can provide technical waste minimiza-
tion information;
Waste Minimization Branch, at (513) 569-7529,
can assist you with research and development
activities regarding waste minimization
assessments, innovative technology and pollution
prevention evaluations, and activities of the Waste
Reduction Institute for Scientists and Engineers;
Pollution Prevention Office, at (202) 382-4335,
can assist you in understanding pollution
prevention and provide you with a great deal of
pollution prevention information; and the
Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse.
which includes a collection of reference literature
pertaining to pollution prevention, outreach
efforts, the Electronic Information Exchange
System, and the RCRA/Superfund Hotline:
Electronic Information Exchange
System fEIES). at (301) 589-8366, is
an easy-to-use, interactive PC-based
system. Using a personal computer
and a modem, you can access EIES
to obtain a wide variety of pollution
prevention information, including case
studies, a calendar of events, a
directory of experts, a bibliography of
publications, and descriptions of
federal and state pollution prevention
programs. You can use an interactive
message center to pose pollution
prevention questions or provide
comments to other users. The
information in Table II that is followed
by an "EIES Number" has come from
references that are available to you
through EIES. You may examine
these references for additional
pollution prevention information or
ideas.
RCRA/Superfund Hotline, at (800)
424-9346 (or (202) 382-3000), can
answer your pollution prevention
questions, help you access information
in EIES, and assist you in searching
for and obtaining documents.
HAVE YOU TRIED
POLLUTION PREVENTION?
If you have tried, or are planning on trying
any pollution prevention activity at your facility
and would like to share your ideas or
experience, use your personal computer to
access the Electronic Information Exchange
System (EIES) at (301) 589-8366, and let others
know! We can all learn from your experience!
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How To Use the Pollution Prevention Tables
Two tables are included in this booklet as a
quick guide to help you begin identifying specific
pollution prevention options. The ideas
represented in these tables have been used at
actual facilities, resulting in cost savings.Table I
identifies typical processes and operations in the
metal manufacturing industry. This table also
identifies typical materials used and types of waste
generated for each process.
Table II is also broken down by process and
operation. Table II, however, provides pollution
prevention options for each process and operation.
These pollution prevention options are organized
by technique, as described in the previous section.
In addition, Table II provides examples of cost
and savings realized by other facilities, and
additional relevant information.1 You should use
this information to help decide which options
would best serve your needs. When properly
installed and maintained, none of the options
described on Table II should adversely affect the
quality of your products and all should reduce
your potential liability from improper waste
management. The entries in Table II that are
followed by an "EIES Number" have come from
references that are available to you through EIES.
You may request and examine these references for
additional pollution prevention information or
ideas.
lThe cost, savings, and waste reduction information provided in Table II is based on actual case studies and
reflects the successes of actual metal manufacturing facilities. Because specific applications are highly
variable, however, you should use this information only as an indicator of how a particular pollution
prevention option may perform under your circumstances.
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TABLE I
TYPICAL PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRY OPERATIONS
WHICH MAY PRODUCE WASTES
TYPICAL TYPICAL
PROCESSOR MATERIALS
OPERATION USED
TYPICAL
MATERIAL
INGREDIENT
GENERAL TYPES
OF
WASTE GENERATED
PLATE PREPARATION
*Counter-
Etching to
Remove
Oxides
Phosphoric acid
Phosphoric acid
Acid/alkaline wastes
Deep-Etch
Coating of
Plates
Deep-etch bath
Ammonium dichromate,
ammonium hydroxide
Acid/alkaline wastes, heavy
metal wastes
Etching
Baths
Multiracial plate and
plate coating
Ferric chloride (cop-
per), aluminum/zinc
chloride/hydrochloric
acid (chromium), nitric
acid (zinc, magnesium),
gum arabic
Acid/alkaline wastes, heavy
metal wastes
Applying
Light-
sensitive
Coating
Resins, binders,
emulsifiers, photo-
sensitizers, gelatin,
photoinitiators
PVA/ammonium
dichloromate, polyvinvyl
cinnamate, fish
glue/albumin, silver
halide, gelatin,
emulsifiers, gum
arabic/ammonium
dichromate
Photographic processing
wastes
Developing
Plates
Developer
Lactic acid, zinc
chloride, magnesium
chloride, hydroquinone
Photographic processing
wastes
Applying
Lacquer
Resins, solvents, vinyl
lacquer, lacquer
developers
PVC, PVA, maleic acid,
methyl ethyl ketone,
cyclohexanone,
isophorone
Solvent wastes
Using Ink
(lithography,
letterpress,
screen
printing,
flexography)
Pigments, dyes, varnish,
drier, extender, modifier,
fountain solutions
Titanium oxide, iron
blues, molybdated
chrome orange,
phthalocyanine pigments,
oils, hydrocarbon
solvents, waxes, cobalt/
zinc/manganese oleates,
plasticizers, barium-
based pigments
Waste ink and ink sludges
with solvents, chromium,
lead, barium
Older Technologies
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TABLE I (continued)
TYPICAL PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRY OPERATIONS
WHICH MAY PRODUCE WASTES
TOPICAL TYPICAL
PROCESS OR MATERIALS
OPERATION USED
TYPICAL
MATERIAL
INGREDIENT
GENERAL TYPES
OF
WASTE GENERATED
Making
Gravure
Cylinders
Acid plating bath
STENCIL PREPARATION
FOR SCREEN PRINTING
Copper, chromic acid,
chrome
Plating wastes
Lacquer
Stencil Film
Solvents, polyester film,
vinyl film, dyes
Aliphatic acetates,
cellulose-based lacquer,
plasticizers
Solvent wastes
Photographic
Stencil Film
Organic acids, gelatin
(pigmented), polyester
film base
Acids, alkalies, peroxide-
forming compounds,
plasticizers, surfactants
Acid/alkaline wastes
Photo-
emulsion
Resins, binders,
photosensitizers, dyes
PVA, PVAC,
ammonium or potassium
bichromate, diazonium
compounds
Photographic processing
wastes
Blockout
(screen filler)
Pigmented polymers,
solvents, acetates
Methylene chloride,
methanol, methyl
cellulose acetates
Solvent wastes
PHOTOPROCESSING
Developing
Negatives
and Prints
Developer, cleaning
agents, wetting agents,
fixers, bleaches
Hydroquinone,
ammonium thiosulfate,
silver, lead, chromium,
cadmium, phenol,
toluene, chloroform,
ethylbenzene, methylene
chloride
Photographic processing
wastes
PRINTING
Using Ink
(lithography,
letterpress,
screen
printing
Icxography)
Pigments, dyes, varnish,
drier, extender, modifier,
fountain solutions, inks,
solvents, plates, shellacs
Titanium oxide, iron
blues, molybdated
chrome orange,
phthalocyanide pigments,
oils, hydrocarbon
solvents, waxes,
cobalt/zinc/manganese
oleates, plasticizers,
barium-based pigments,
acrylic copolymers
Heavy metal wastes, ink
sludges with chromium or
lead, ink wastes with metals
or organic constituents, and
solvent wastes
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TABLE I (continued)
TYPICAL PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRY OPERATIONS
WHICH MAY PRODUCE WASTES
TOPICAL TYPICAL
PROCESS OR MATERIALS
OPERATION USED
TYPICAL
MATERIAL
INGREDIENT
GENERAL TYPES
OF
WASTE GENERATED
CLEAN UP
Washing/ Alcohols, solvents, rags, Ethyl alcohol, benzene, Acid/alkaline wastes, ink
Cleaning alkaline cleaners toluene, xylene, isopropyl wastes with metals or organic
Plates, Type, alcohol, methyl ethyl constituents, and solvent
Die, Press ketone, trichloroethylene, wastes
Blankets and DRAFT perchloroethylene,
Rollers Ur\f\~ \ carbon tetrachloride,
gasoline, naphtha,
kerosene
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TABLE II
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
POLLUTION POLLUTION
PREVENTION PREVENTION
TECHNIQUES OPTIONS
EXAMPLES OF
COSTS AND SAVINGS,
AND OTHER INFORMATION*
PLATE PREPARATION
Process Use counter-current rinsing to reduce cross
Equipment or contamination of baths, increase the ease of
Equipment recycling process baths, and reduce the
Modification quantity of makeup chemicals required.
Use commercially available lithographic plates
and film that may be processed with water,
reducing or eliminating the generation of
waste chemicals. [EIES Number 310-001,
p. 208]
Raw Material
Substitution
Reduce the need for photographing and
reshooting by installing electronic imaging
and/or laser platemaking equipment. [EIES
Number 005-045, p. 3]
Recycling
Reclaim old plates by returning them to the
manufacturer or metal reclaimer.
Recover etching wastes (zinc, magnesium,
copper) using a packaged etching waste
treatment system. [EIES Number 101-038,
p. 331]
Recycle type metal (82% lead, 11.5%
antimony, 6.5% tin) used in linotype,
monotype, and foundry typesetting for the
manufacture of letterpress plates. [EIES
Number 101-038, p. 331]
PRINTING
Production
Planning and
Sequencing
Use dedicated presses for inks with
hazardous pigments or solvents.
Schedule priming runs from light colors to
darker ones in order to reduce the amount
of equipment cleaning required between color
changes.
The cosi. savings, and wasie reduciion information provided in Table 11 is based on actual case studies and reflects the successes of
actual metal manufacturing facilities. Because specific applicalions are highly variable, however, you should use this information only as
an indicator of how a particular pollution prevention option may perform under your circumstances.
These options cost less than S30.000 to implement.
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TABLE II (continued)
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
POLLUTION POLLUTION
PREVENTION PREVENTION
TECHNIQUES OPTIONS
EXAMPLES OF
COSTS AND SAVINGS,
AND OTHER INFORMATION*
Process or
Equipment
Modification
For general printing on a continuous web:
change from indirect steam heating to
direct gas fired heating;
improve air circulation and web
transport in the over,
use heat wheels to pre-heat make-up air.
Capital Investment: $284,650. Annual Savings: 5102,100.
Payback Period: 2.7 years. Waste Savings/Reduction:
solvent discharges reduced from 560 tonnes/year to 200
tonnes/year. [EIES Number 400-090, p. 16]
** Reduce ink losses through vaporization
by using diaphragm pumps (instead of
mechanical vane pumps), which will reduce
ink temperatures from approximately 100 "F
to approximately 80"F.
Capital Investment: 56,000. Annual Savings: 37,400 (in
recovered solvent). Payback Period: 10 months. Product/
Waste Throughput Information: 78.2 tons VOCs per year,
20% of lost solvent is recovered. [EIES Number 043-005,
pp. 28, 33]
Install filters on printing presses.
Waste Savings/Reduction: ink waste reduced by 30%.
[EIES Number 005-043, p. 62]
Keep ink fountains at iheir optimal level for
good print quality in large web processes by
installing automatic ink levellers. [EIES
Number 005-045, p. 4]
Raw Material
Substitution
Use water-based inks instead of solvent based
inks for flexographic and rotogravure printing
processes in order to reduce hazardous waste
production (both UV-curable and air drying
systems speed drying of water based inks).
[EIES Number 310-001, p. 209]
Annual Savings: $57,550. Product/Waste Throughput
Information: 193,600 Ibs. ink/year. [EIES Number 043-005,
pp. 25, 32]
Use foamable aqueous inks rather than
solvent-type inks during rotogravure printing.
Operating Cost: same as solvent system. Waste Savings/
Reduction: VOC emissions reduced by 95%. [EIES
Number 209-001]
Avoid heavy-metal based pigments.
Loss
Prevention
and
Housekeeping
** Install curtains around printing area to
trap VOC solvent vapors and limit escape to
the atmosphere.
Capital Investment: $2,000 ($1,000 per printing press).
Annual Savings: 511,100. Payback Period: 3 months.
Product/Waste Throughput Information: 78.2 tons VOCs
per year; 96,800 Ibs. ink per year. [EIES Number 043-005,
pp. 25, 28, 32]
Wipe off excess liquid using squeegees or
doctor blades during printing operations.
Waste Savings/Reduction: can reduce chemical carry-over
by 50%.
Reuse rinsewater as long as possible by using
contaminated rinsewater for initial equipment
rinse.
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TABLE II (continued)
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
POLLUTION
PREVENTION
TECHNIQUES
POLLUTION
PREVENTION
OPTIONS
EXAMPLES OF
COSTS AND SAVINGS,
AND OTHER INFORMATION*
Exercise inventory control:
Do not order more ink than can be
used before its shelf life expires.
Completely use a container of ink
before opening new one.
Purchase ink in recyclable bulk
containers and recycle empty containers.
Instead of disposing unused ink portions,
reuse them in "house" colors or future
production runs.
Return all unemulsified inks to their
containers. [EIES Number 005-045, p. 4]
Reduce waste ink generation by cleaning ink
fountains only when changing colors or when
the ink might dry out between runs.
Fountains can be left with ink overnight if
sprayed with special non-drying aerosol
materials. [EIES Number 005-045, p. 4]
Waste
Segregation
and
Separation
Segregate waste ink according to color and
type and use to thin future batches of the
same ink. [EIES Number 043-005, pp. 28-
29]
Recycling
** Reuse colored and black inks as printing
ink for newspaper production (discarded inks
can be filtered and mixed with black inks to
produce the newspaper ink).
Capital Investment: 53,720. Annual Net Savings: $10,000.
Product/Waste Throughput Information: 4,000 tons of
newspaper per year. [EIES Number 400-109, p. 1]
Capital Investment: 528,000. Annual Savings: $40,000 in
new ink costs. Product/Waste Throughput Information:
260,000 Ibs. waste ink recovered. [EIES Number 310-001,
p. 213]
Annual Savings: 540,000. Product/Waste Throughput
Information: 54,000 gallons waste ink recovered. [EIES
Number 310-001, p. 212]
Capital Investment: $8,000. Annual Savings: $28,000.
Product/Waste Throughput Information: 1,200 gallons
wasie ink recovered. [EIES Number 005-044, p. 41]
** Recover waste solvents through
distillation.
Capital Investment: S3.000 for a 5 gallon batch distillalion
unit. Payback Period: less than 1 year. [EIES Number
005-044. p. 60: F.IF.S Number 034-006. pp. 6-7]
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TABLE II (continued)
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
POLLUTION POLLUTION
PREVENTION PREVENTION
TECHNIQUES OPTIONS
EXAMPLES OF
COSTS AND SAVINGS,
AND OTHER INFORMATION*
Capital Investment: $25,000 for a 110 gallon continuous
distillation unit. [EIES Number 034-006, pp. 6-7]
Capital Investment: $240,000. Operating Cost $57,600/
year. Payback Period: 8.2 years. [EIES Number, 043-005,
pp. 24-31]
Waste Savings/Reduction: 3.5 tons of liquid waste reduced
to 1,100 Ibs. [EIES Number 005-044, p. 58]
Use carbon adsorption to recover waste
solvents.
Annual Savings: solvent consumption reduced 90%. [EIES
Number 101-038]
PHOTOPROCESSING
Process or
Equipment
Modification
Use ozone oxidation to regenerate ferric ion
instead of using potassium persulfide.
Waste Savings/Reduction: can reduce ferrocyanide
concentration by 90%. [EIES Number 310-001, p. 165]
Use counter-current rinsing to reduce cross
contamination of baths, increase the ease of
recycling process baths, and reduce the
quantity of makeup chemicals required.
Use a "washless" processing system.
Capital Investment: 545,000. Waste Savings/Reduction:
wastewater reduced bv 97%.
Extend the allowable buildup of silver by
adding ammonium thiosulfate to silver
contaminated baths. [EIES Number 005-045,
p. 3]
Use an acid stop bath prior to the fixing
bath to reduce the effects of an alkaline
developer on the fixing bath's pH. Add
acetic acid to the fixing bath to keep the pH
low and maximize soluble complexes. [EIES
Number 005-045, p. 3]
Use flotation lifts on bleach and developer
containers to keep them fresh. [EIES
Number 005-045, p. 3)
Reduce the volume of fixer waste by
installing waterless paper and film developing
units. [EIES Number 005-045, p. 3]
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TABLE H (continued)
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
POLLUTION POLLUTION
PREVENTION PREVENTION
TECHNIQUES OPTIONS
EXAMPLES OF
COSTS AND SAVINGS,
AND OTHER INFORMATION*
Raw Material Use an aqueous developer to avoid
Substitution developing in TCE and etching in caustic
solution when making decals from photo-
resist-coated anodized aluminum.
Use silver-free films and carbon black paper
systems to reduce the need for silver. Some
silverless film does not require a development
solution for processing.
Annual Savings: $10,000. Product/Waste Savings/
Reduction: 40% reduction in hazardous waste generation.
[EIES Number 806-001, p. 7]
Eliminate silver in wastes by using silver-free
films such as vesicular, diazo,
electrostatic,and photopolymer films. [EIES
Number 005-045, p. 3]
Certain commercial films eliminate high
polluting substances from both sides of the
film. [EIES Number 101-038, p. 330]
Use bismuth as the image carrier instead of
silver because of its lower toxicity. [EIES
Number 310-001, pp. 156-157]
Loss
Prevention
and
Housekeeping
Reduce water flow either manually or
automatically (using a solenoid valve) when
actual photoprocessing stops. [EIES Number
310-001, p. 159]
Store photosensitive film and paper properly
to avoid inadvertent exposure or waste.
Reuse rinsewater as long as possible by using
contaminated rinsewaters for an initial
equipment rinse.
Wipe off excess liquid using squeegees or
doctor blades during processing.
Waste Savings/Reduction: can reduce chemical carry-over
by 50%. [EIES Number 310-001, pp. 158-159]
Protect process baths that spoil easily by
keeping them containerized. [EIES Number
005-045, p. 3]
Minimize bad runs and waste by using
commercially available continuous monitors.
(EIES Number 005-045. p. 3]
14 -
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TABLE II (continued)
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
POLLUTION POLLUTION
PREVENTION PREVENTION
TECHNIQUES OPTIONS
EXAMPLES OF
COSTS AND SAVINGS,
AND OTHER INFORMATION*
Recycling
Use glass marbles to bring the liquid level in
the process baths to the brim each time the
liquid is used. [EIES Number 005-045, p. 3]
** Use electrolytic recovery cells to plate
pure silver out of the waste stream.
** Reclaim metal from silver-bearing
effluent with a chemical recovery cartridge.
Multiple chemical recovery cartridges in
series will increase silver recovery.
** Use chemical precipitation, such as
sodium borohydride reduction, to recover
heavy metals and to control discharge.
[EIES Number 310-001, p. 162]
Recover spent bleach, especially ferricyanide,
using:
ozone oxidation,
electrolysis,
persulfate salts,
liquid bromine.
[EIES Number 310-001, p. 165]
Capital Investment: $150 to over $15,000.
Waste Savings/Reduction: 98% silver recovery from spent
fix. [EIES Number 310-001, pp. 163-164]
Capital Investment: cost of cartridges $30-$50.
Capital Investment: $7,000 to $10,000. Operating Costs:
$0.15 per ounce of recovered silver for x-ray fixers; $0.50
per ounce for bleach fixers. Product/Waste Throughput
Information: 400 gallon capacity treatment system. [EIES
Number 507-001, pp. 145-147]
CLEANUP
Recycle color developer using oxidation
recovery.
Capital Investment: $54,200 (1981). Payback Period: 2
years. [EIES Number 310-001, p. 169]
Recycle waste or spoiled photographic film
and paper.
Waste Savings/Reductions: drummed scrap films can be
sold. (EIES Number 101-038; p. 330]
Process
Equipment or
Modification
When cleaning caked-on deposits from the
sides of ink vats, save water by using a high
pressure spray unit instead of detergent.
Waste Savings/Reduction: wash lime per vat reduced 52%;
volume of wasie water generated reduced 54%. [EIES
Number 808-001, p. 31]
** Reduce fountain tray cleaning costs by
installing portable fountain cleaning and
reclaiming equipment.
Capital Investment: $4,000 (1977). Annual Savings:
$375,000. Product/Waste Throughput Information: 18 ink
fountains cleaned weekly. Waste Savings/Reduction: 80%
of ink is recovered. [EIES Number 310-001, pp. 213-214]
15 -
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TABLE H (continued)
POLLUTION PREVENTION PRACTICES FOR PROCESSES
AND OPERATIONS IN PRINTING AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES
Raw Material
Substitution
Use less toxic solvents with press wipes (i.e.,
nonchlorinated solvents such as alcohol,
mineral spirits, water, etc.).
Loss
Prevention
and
Housekeeping
Do not draw too much cleaning solvent from
a drum. Use only as much solvent as
required when cleaning.
Use press wipes for as long as possible
before throwing them out. Use dirty ones
for the first pass and clean ones for the final
pass. Similarly, use dirty solvents during the
first cleaning and fresh solvent for the final
cleaning.
Recycling
Use dual distillation units to transform spent
press and roller cleanup solvents into dry,
solvent-free cakes. For example:
55 gallon batch still.
Capital Investment: $15,000 to $16,000. Annual Savings:
$24,000. Payback Period: less than one year. Waste
Savings/Reduction: 60%. [EIES Number 034-006, pp. 7-8]
20 gallon (continuous) still.
Capital Investment: $9,000. Annual Savings: 514,400 to
536,000. Payback Period: 6 months. Waste Savings/
Reduction: 100%. [EIES Number 034-006. pp. 7-8]
Distill all waste solvents.
Capital Investment: 53,000 (5 gallon batch still). [EIES
Number 034-006, p. 6]
Send spent solvents back to the formulator
for use in future batches.
Capital Investment: $25,000 (110 gallon continuous still).
[EIES Number 034-006, p. 6]
Clean press-cleaning wash waters by routing
them through an ultrafiltration unit (UF) and
return them to the process.
Capital Investment: $63,000. Operating Cost: $19,300.
Savings: $125,000 (when UF is compared to hauling at
$0.10/gallon). Payback Period: 1.08 years. Product/Waste
Throughput Information: 5,000 gallons/day. Waste
Savings/Reduction: 98% volume reduction. [EIES Number
999-001]
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