United States
               Environmental Protection
               Agency
Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
               Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-95/011
June 1996
EPA      Project Summary
               Solvent-Based  to  Waterbased
               Adhesive-Coated  Substrate
               Retrofit

               Beth W. McMinn, W. Scott Snow, and Dan T. Bowman
                The coated and laminated substrate
               manufacturing  industry was selected
               as part of the  National Risk Manage-
               ment Research Laboratory's (NRMRL's)
               support of the U.S. Environmental Pro-
               tection Agency's (EPA's) 33/50 Program
               because of its significant air emissions
               of toluene and  methyl ethyl  ketone.
               NRMRL reviewed the potential equip-
               ment cleaning  benefits of retrofitting
               equipment for the use of waterbased
               adhesives. During the investigation, it
               became apparent that retrofitting sol-
               vent-based  equipment  to  accept
               waterbased adhesives can be very com-
               plicated. This report gives results of a
               review of the issues and obstacles as-
               sociated with retrofitting.
                This Project Summary was developed
               by EPA's National Risk Management
               Research Laboratory,  Research  Tri-
               angle Park, NC, to announce key find-
               ings of the research project that is fully
               documented in a separate report of the
               same title (see Project Report ordering
               information at back).

               Background
                As a result  of the Pollution  Prevention
               Act of 1990, the U.S. Environmental Pro-
               tection Agency (EPA) established the 337
               50 Program, which calls for voluntary in-
               dustry reductions in releases of  17 high-
               priority toxic chemicals, listed by mass of
               emissions:
                  Toluene
                  Xylenes
                  1,1,1-Trichloroethane
                  Methyl Ethyl Ketone
                  Dichloromethane
                  Chromium and Compounds
    Lead and Compounds
    Trichloroethylene
    Methyl Isobutyl Ketone
    Tetrachloroethylene
    Benzene
    Chloroform
    Nickel and Compounds
    Cyanide and Compounds
    Carbon Tetrachloride
    Cadmium and Compounds
    Mercury and Compounds
 The goal of the 33/50 Program is to re-
 duce the total amount of these chemicals
 released into the environment and trans-
 ferred off-site by 33% by the end of 1992
 and by 50% by the end of 1995. These
 reductions will be based  on the Toxic
 Chemicals Release  Inventory (TRI),  with
 1988 as the  base year.
   In  support of the 33/50  Program  and
 EPA's pollution  prevention  goals, EPA's
 National Risk Management  Research
 Laboratory (NRMRL) is investigating ways
 to reduce air emissions of these 17 chemi-
 cals through pollution prevention. The Pol-
 lution Prevention Act of 1990 defines pol-
 lution  prevention as source reduction, or
 "any practice which reduces the amount
 of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or
 contaminant entering the waste stream or
 otherwise released to the environment (in-
 cluding fugitive emissions)  prior to recy-
 cling, treatment, or disposal; and reduces
 the hazards to public health and the envi-
 ronment associated with the release of
 such substances, pollutants, or contami-
 nants." Pollution prevention offers  eco-
 nomic and reduced health and ecological
 risk benefits to  many  sectors of society
 that may not be available through tradi-
 tional pollution control methods.

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  In 1991, NRMRL  representatives met
with industry, academia,  and state envi-
ronmental agency representatives to iden-
tify  several source  categories deserving
of pollution prevention research. Two cri-
teria were used to select  the  industrial
categories for study: annual toxics emis-
sions and the potential for pollution pre-
vention  opportunities.  First, the TRI was
reviewed to identify categories with  the
greatest mass  emissions  of the 33/50
chemicals.  Categories with  the greatest
emissions were then ranked according to
the  potential for successful pollution pre-
vention  projects resulting  in significant re-
ductions of 33/50 chemical releases. One
of the industries identified during the 1991
meeting was the adhesives-coated and
laminated  paper  manufacturing industry
[Standard  Industrial  Classification (SIC)
2672]. This industry was chosen because
of significant  air emissions  of 33/50 Pro-
gram chemicals methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)
and toluene as reported through the TRI.
  In October 1991, a focus group meeting
was held during which NRMRL, pollution
prevention experts, and representatives of
the  adhesives-coated  and laminated  pa-
per manufacturing industry discussed pol-
lution prevention projects that would sup-
port the 33/50 Program.  Meeting  partici-
pants indicated that the coatings and coat-
ing application steps are the largest source
of toluene and MEK emissions; therefore,
retrofitting equipment  for the  use  of
waterbased  adhesives  would  present  a
good opportunity  to implement pollution
prevention techniques. As a result of this
meeting and  preliminary industry inquir-
ies, the scope of the industry investigation
was later expanded  to include other coat-
ing  and  substrate varieties (such as those
included in SIC 2671-Coated and Lami-
nated Packaging Paper and Plastics Film)
whose manufacturing  methods are simi-
lar,  thus expanding technology  transfer
over a wider range of industries. The ret-
rofit  research project fulfills part of EPA's
goal to  stimulate the development and
use of products and processes that result
in reduced pollution.
Objectives
  As part of the original scope of work for
Improved Equipment Cleaning  in  the
Coated and Laminated Substrate Manu-
facturing Facilities (Phase I), the potential
equipment cleaning  benefits of retrofitting
equipment for the use of waterbased ad-
hesives were reviewed. During the review,
it became apparent that the conversion of
solvent-based  adhesive-coated  products
to waterbased adhesives can be very com-
plicated. Therefore,  EPA  invested  re-
sources in  documenting this conversion.
The results of this study are presented in
four volumes entitled  Solvent-Based to
Waterbased Adhesive-Coated Substrate
Retrofit—
  Volume I:     Comparative Analysis
  Volume II:    Process Overview
  Volume III:    Label Manufacturing
                Case  Study:  Nashua
                Corporation
  Volume IV:    Film and Label Manu-
                facturing  Case  Study:
                FLEXcon  Corporation
  Volume I  details  results  of a compre-
hensive study  to identify the issues  and
barriers associated  with retrofitting exist-
ing  solvent-based  equipment to  accept
waterbased adhesives, and  compares the
compatibility of waterbased  adhesive per-
formance levels with current solvent-based
adhesive applications. Using Volume  I,
NRMRL is examining the technology trans-
fer potential  of documenting requirements
for several coated and  laminated substrate
manufacturers who have converted some
or all  of their coating capacity from  sol-
vent-based to  waterbased  adhesives so
that other manufacturers can consider the
benefits of retrofitting.
  Volume II gives results of an initial study
to identify the issues and barriers associ-
ated with retrofitting existing  solvent-based
equipment to  accept  waterbased  adhe-
sives. This  report is intended only  as an
introduction  to the  technical, economic,
and environmental issues associated with
converting  from  solvent-based   to
waterbased  adhesive  coating processes.
Its purpose  is to define the terms com-
monly used  within the industry,  introduce
retrofit concepts,  and identify issues re-
quiring further investigation.
  Volume III is a case study of the waterbased
retrofit of Nashua Corporation's Omaha, Ne-
braska, facility (Nashua). Nashua is a label
and  label  stock manufacturing  facility
that  completed a total conversion from
solvent-based to waterbased adhesives
in  late  1993.  This  conversion formally
started  in 1987. Nashua's products  are
generally aimed at high-volume commod-
ity uses, such as food and consumer prod-
uct packaging labels. Nashua  converted
to waterbased adhesives primarily to avoid
escalating regulatory costs associated with
solvent-based adhesives. Equipment, cost,
performance, environmental, and market-
ing issues pertaining  to Nashua's conver-
sion  are explained in  Volume III.
  Volume IV describes the implications of
and  barriers  associated  with waterbased
adhesive use at FLEXcon Company's Spen-
cer,  Massachusetts,  facility (FLEXcon).
FLEXcon produces a variety of films and
labels for use in  a multitude of applica-
tions that fall into six main  categories:
graphic films, packaging  labels, electronic
printing labels, microembossed films, medi-
cal films and labels,  and  custom-perfor-
mance products. FLEXcon  currently pro-
cesses approximately 30% of their prod-
ucts  with waterbased adhesives and the
remainder with  solvent-based adhesives.
FLEXcon's usage level of solvent-based
adhesives has remained static for a num-
ber of years, and they currently have no
plans to change it. However, FLEXcon's
use of waterbased adhesives has steadily
increased since their introduction to the
facility in the early 1970s. FLEXcon antici-
pates that future growth  in their adhesive
manufacturing will be in waterbased and
other non-solvent adhesive technologies.
FLEXcon  officials  also  believe that  im-
provements  in waterbased  and other non-
solvent adhesive technologies may allow
them to convert solvent-based products in
the future.

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   B. McMinn, S. Snow, and D. Bowman are with TRC Environmental Corp., Chapel
     Hill, NC 27514.
   Chester A. Vogel (Volumes I, III, and IV) and Michael Kosusko (Volume II) are
     the EPA Project Officers (see below).
   The complete  report, entitled "Solvent-Based to Waterbased Adhesive-Coated
     Substrate Retrofit," consists of four volumes:
     "Volume I,  Comparative Analysis"  (Order No. PB96-180435;  Cost:  $31.00,
     subject to change)
     "Volume II, Process Overview" (Order No. PB96-180443; Cost: $21.50, subject
     to change)
     "Volume III, Label Manufacturing Case Study: Nashua Corporation" (Order No.
     PB96-180450; Cost: $21.50, subject to change)
     "Volume IV, Film and Label Manufacturing Case Study: FLEXcon Corporation"
     (Order No. PB96-180468; Cost: $19.50, subject to change)
     The complete set of fourvolumes (Order No. PB96-180427; Cost: $49.00, subject
     to change).
   The above reports will be available only from
          National Technical Information Service
          5285 Port Royal Road
          Springfield, VA 22161
          Telephone: 703-487-4650
   The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at
          National Risk Management Research Laboratory
          U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
          Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268

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