VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
CONTROLS
CUSTOMIZED ENVIRONMENTAL
TRAINING
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INSTRUCTOR
Insert Instructor Name Here
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OBJECTIVES
 Define Ground Level Ozone.
 Define VOCs.
 Discuss VOC Content.
 Discuss Transfer Efficiency (TE).
 Discuss Different Types of Sprayers.
 Discuss Operator Training.
 Discuss Capturing Fugitive Emissions.
 Discuss Destroying Fugitive Emissions.
 Recommend Handling, Storage, and Disposal Procedures for
VOCs.
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GOALS
 Understand the Definition Ground Level Ozone.
 Understand the Definition of VOCs.
 Understand What VOC content is.
 Understand Transfer Efficiency.
 Be Familiar With The Different Types of Sprayers.
 Understand the Importance of Operator Training.
 Understand the Importance of Capturing Fugitive Emissions.
 Understand the Importance of Destroying Fugitive Emissions.
 Be Familiar With Recommend Handling, Storage, and
Disposal Procedures for VOCs.
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BACKGROUND
 In 1998, 61,234 industries reported a total of 7.3 billion
pounds of hazardous chemicals released to the air, land and
water in the United States.
 EPA estimates that 85,300 tons of toxic emissions from
solvents are released to the atmosphere annually
 Solvents contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that
have been found to contribute to the formation of smog and
ozone
 Fugitive Air Emissions Containing VOCs can have a
Detrimental Impact on Human Health and the Environment.
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LEARNERS
 Supervisors
 Facility Engineers
 Maintenance Personnel
 Department Managers
 Building Occupants
 Process Specialists
 Environmental and Safety Committees
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OVERVIEW
The goal of this course is to provide supervisors
with the tools needed to help control Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs) from becoming fugitive
emissions. It recommends practical, actions that can
be carried out by facility management, maintenance
personnel and building occupants. The course will
help you to integrate good VOC control management
activities into your existing organization and identify
which of your staff have the necessary skills to carry
out those activities.
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WHAT THIS COURSE DOES NOT DO
The course is not intended to provide information to
install, repair, calibrate equipment or remove VOC
control devices. Nor is it intended to provide
alternative technologies or products that do not
contain VOCs. These specialties required training
beyond the intended scope of this course. Where
this expertise is needed, outside assistance should
be solicited.
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CLEAN AIR ACT AMENDMENTS
(CAAA)
 CAAA of 1990 - One of the 189 hazardous air
pollutants that has been identified is Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs).
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FEDERAL REGULATIONS
Pertinent Regulations:
 40 CFR 59—National Volatile Organic Compound Emission
Standards For Consumer and Commercial Products
 40 CFR 63 Subpart D—National Volatile Organic Compound
Emission Standards for Architectural Coatings
 40 CFR 63 Subpart KK - National Emission Standards for the
Printing and Publishing Industry
 40 CFR 60 Subpart RR - Standards of Performance for Pressure
Sensitive Tape and Label Surface Coating Operations
 40 CFR 60 Subpart FFF - Standards of Performance for Flexible
Vinyl and Urethane Coating and Printing
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GROUND LEVEL OZONE
 Ground level ozone, commonly
referred to as "smog," is the single
most serious air quality challenge for
most urban areas
 In 1990, six out of every ten
Americans were living in an areas
where ozone levels exceeded EPA's
air quality standards
 This was the number 1 urban
pollutant
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GROUND LEVEL OZONE
 Ground level ozone is a complex problem that is difficult
to control in part because it is not emitted directly by
specific sources
 It forms in the air when there are chemical reactions
between two other pollutants nitrogen oxides (NOx) and
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) -- in the presence of
heat and sunlight
 Hotter temperatures accelerate ozone formation
 Ozone at ground level is a major health and
environmental problem
 Ozone is beneficial substance in the stratosphere where
it shields the earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet
radiation
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WHAT ARE VOCs?
 VOCs* (volatile organic compounds); smog-formers
 VOCs are released from burning fuel solvents, paints
glues and other products used at work or at home
 VOCs, in addition to ozone (smog) effects, can cause
serious health problems such as cancer and other
effects
 In addition to ozone (smog) effects, some VOCs such
as formaldehyde and ethylene may harm plants and
animals
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WHAT ARE VOCs?
 All VOCs contain carbon (C), the basic chemical
element found in living beings
 Carbon-containing chemicals are called organic
 Volatile chemicals escape into the air easily
 Many VOCs are also hazardous air pollutants, which
can cause very serious illnesses
 EPA does not list VOCs as criteria air pollutants, but
they are included in this list of pollutants because efforts
to control smog target VOCs for reduction
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REDUCING VOCs
 Non-attainment areas must reduce
VOC emissions by 3% per year, until
the standard is attained
 The base year of measuring is 1990.
 All but Marginal areas must reduce
VOC emissions by 15% by 1996
 After that point, the areas must
continue to reduce VOC emissions by
3% annually
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REDUCING VOCs
 Purchase products with the lowest VOC
concentrations
 Ensure there are high transfer efficiencies of the
product to reduce waste and fugitive emissions
 Collect and destroy fugitive VOC emissions
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VOC CONTENT
 Coatings consist of solids and solvents
 Solvents lower the viscosity and act as the carrier for
the solids
 Solvents also are used to dissolve the solid resin
 Solvents evaporate from the coating before, during
and after application
 Solvents include VOCs, water, and exempt solvents
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VOC CONTENT
 The VOC concentration does not change if you
increase the volume of mixed paint used, however, the
VOC concentration does increase when adding VOC
solvents such as thinners or reducers
 Manufacturers are currently being required by federal
regulations to formulate paint to certain VOC
specifications, that when used, according to the
manufacturer’s recommendations, will meet VOC
content limits
 The VOC content is generally stated on the label or
on the manufacturer’s paint specification sheet
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CALCULATING VOC CONTENT
Information is from a Material Safety Data Sheet for this
coating:
 If the coating weighs 10.4 pounds/gallon, and it contains
the following VOCs:
Xylene
2% x 10.4 lb/gal = .21 lb/gal
Toulene
2% x 10.4 lb/gal = .21 lb/gal
MEK
6% x 10.4 lb/gal = .63 lb/gal
Mixed Aliphatics
10% x 10.4 lb/gal = 1.04 lb/gal
TOTAL
20% x 10.4 lb/gal = 2.09 lb/gal
2.09 lb/gal x 119.8 (g/L) (gal/lb) = 250 grams/Liter
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TRANSFER EFFICIENCY
 Transfer efficiency rates the ability of spray
equipment to put a coating on the parts being coated
rather than allowing it to escape as overspray or in
other forms of waste
 If you spray 10 pounds of coating on uncoated parts
and those parts gain two pounds as the result of being
coated, you've achieved 20% transfer efficiency (TE)
 In selecting new spray-painting equipment, 85% of
industrial consumers rated transfer efficiency as
extremely or moderately important
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SPRAYING
The major types of spray equipment in use today are as
follows:
 Conventional Air-Atomize Guns
 Airless and Air-Assisted Airless Guns
 High-Volume, Low-Pressure Spray Equipment
 Electrostatic Spray Equipment
 Plural-Component Spray Equipment
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CONVENTIONAL SPRAY GUNS
 They have been around since
the early part of this century
 They emit a stream of coating
from a small opening in a fluid
nozzle
 The coating is broken up into
tiny droplets by compressed air
emerging from jets adjacent to the
fluid nozzle
 Relatively high air pressures at
low volumes will quickly atomize
large amounts of coating
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CONVENTIONAL SPRAY GUNS
Advantages
 In the hands of a skilled operator, produces smooth,
reflective finishes
 Can be used to coat almost any shape
 Can apply paint at high production rates on parts
hanging from fast-moving conveyors
 Are "user friendly." Most spray painters are
experienced in using them
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CONVENTIONAL SPRAY GUNS
Disadvantages
 Very poor transfer efficiency
 Wastes paint, increases cleanup costs, emits
more VOCs
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AIRLESS SPRAY GUNS
 Similar to a garden hose
 Airless paint guns pressurize coatings to 900-1200
psi (or higher) and forces it through a nozzle
 Unlike conventional air spray, there are no jets of
atomizing air to break up the paint and propel it to the
surface
 Atomization is dependent upon high fluid pressure
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AIRLESS SPRAY GUNS
Advantages
 In the absence of atomizing air, less overspray and
better transfer efficiency
 Can apply paint at high flow rates, resulting in ability
to meet high-production speeds
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AIRLESS SPRAY GUNS
Disadvantages
 Inability to break up paint into very fine droplets, thus
producing a coarser spray and a rougher finish
 Nozzle wear from high velocities cause abrasive
pigments in paints to wear nozzle openings more
rapidly as they travel through the nozzle.
 Danger of airless-injection injury
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AIR-ASSISTED AIRLESS SPRAY
 A hybrid of airless spray and conventional air-atomize
spray, this kind of gun uses fluid pressures higher than
those used in conventional air-atomize guns but lower
than those employed in normal airless spray
 Unlike normal airless guns, these guns do have
compressed air jets that supply atomizing air, but the air
pressure is far lower than that used in conventional airatomize guns
 In operation, air-assisted airless guns provide
atomization much better than is normal with airless
spray
 Danger of airless injection is lessened, as is wear of
fluid nozzles
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AIR-ASSISTED AIRLESS SPRAY
 The main reason for considering use of air-assisted
airless spray is better transfer efficiency
 Its softer spray also makes it easier to spray into
recesses
 Both air-assisted and pure airless spray operate at
high fluid pressures and thus can use smaller-diameter
fluid lines
 This translates into paint and solvent savings
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HVLP SPRAY
 High-Volume Low-Pressure (HVLP) Spray is a
variation of conventional air-atomize spray
 The difference is that these guns are designed to
atomize coatings using a high volume of air delivered at
low pressure
 The lower pressure results in far less overspray and
"bounce-back"
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HVLP SPRAY
Advantages
 Better transfer efficiency results in less coating waste
and lower cleanup costs
 The exact TE depends upon the circumstances in
your installation the booth design, spray techniques, the
mix of parts, etc.
 Operators used to conventional guns generally find it
easy to learn how to use HVLP
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HVLP SPRAY
Disadvantages
 Atomization may be insufficient to meet the strictest
requirements for smooth, fine finishes
 May be difficult to atomize coating at sufficiently high
rates to meet very high-production requirements
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HVLP SPRAY
Disadvantages continued
 Some problems in achieving proper atomization with
HVLP may be caused by "starving" the spray gun for air
 Causes of this problem include use of air hoses that
are too long or too small in diameter; use of too many
"quick-disconnect" fittings; and use of low-performance
air compressors and air regulators
 Any one of these factors may result in too little air
being delivered to the air cap, causing poor atomization
from the gun
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ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING
 Electrostatic painting begins with a spray gun or other
device to atomize a coating
 The atomizing principle could be any of those
previously discussed conventional air-atomize, HVLP, or
airless
 The difference is that an electrostatic application
device is equipped with a means of electrically charging
the particles of a coating
 A common method is to build in an electrode near the
point where a coating is atomized
 Parts are grounded, usually by hanging them on a
conveyor securely connected to a ground
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ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING
 The result is that fewer of the coating particles are
propelled into space as overspray and more are
electrostatically guided to the surfaces of the parts
being coated
 Sprayed particles will even turn the corner and be
attracted to the back side of a part if the velocity of the
particles causes them to initially travel past the parts
being painted
 Transfer efficiency is greatly improved with
electrostatic spray
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ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING
Advantages
 Higher transfer efficiency
 Coverage of edges
Uniformity of film thickness
Productivity - Electrostatic guns mounted on
reciprocators are widely used to paint long runs of parts
in high-production installations producing lower labor
costs
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ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING
Disadvantages
 Electrostatically charged particles seek out the
nearest grounded surface, if that happens to be the
ridge area of a sculptured part, the valley may be
difficult to reach
 For this reason, manual touchup with nonelectrostatic guns may be necessary
Changes appearance of metallics that are
electrostatically charged
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ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING
Disadvantages continued
 Fire hazard - there is danger that a spark can occur,
igniting paints containing flammable solvents
 Safety - If operators are not careful to follow set-up
directions, they can be electrically shocked
 Ergonomics - Operators may find some guns more
difficult and more tiring to handle
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ELECTROSTATIC PAINTING
Disadvantages continued
 Cleanliness - It's mandatory in order to achieve the
benefits of electrostatic application
 Some coatings may require reformulation because
some solvents are more conductive than others
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ELECTROSTATIC ROTATIONAL
ATOMIZERS
 Rotary atomizers utilize centrifugal force rather than
compressed air or fluid pressure to atomize coatings
Discs
 It is a spinning flat round disc with a hole in the center
 Feed coating through a hose so that it overflows through
the hole and onto the spinning disc
 Centrifugal force propels coating over the surface of the
spinning disc until it flies off the edge
 The coating atomizes as it is propelled through the
atmosphere
 Parts on hangers travel around the periphery of the disc
in an "omega loop," housed by a circular spray booth
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ELECTROSTATIC ROTATIONAL
ATOMIZERS
Bells
 Electrostatic bells are similar in principle, except that
in this case the paint is fed through a hole at the closed
end of the spinning bell-shaped atomizer
 Centrifugal force propels paint from the edges of the
bell
 Bells may be mounted on reciprocators or on handheld guns.
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ELECTROSTATIC ROTATIONAL
ATOMIZERS
Higher-Speed Rotational Devices
 The latest bells and discs utilize higher rotational
speeds, producing finer atomization, the ability to apply
higher-solids and waterborne coatings, and high transfer
efficiency
 These devices are often mounted on reciprocators in
very-high-production installations
 Less operator time is required in the disc application
 But high-speed discs and bells also may have problems
in reaching into deep recesses
 Some of the labor conserved by their use may be
required to hand-spray reinforce the areas of parts not
properly covered by the automatic spray
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VOLTAGE-BLOCK SYSTEMS
Voltage-Block Systems
 Waterborne coatings are widely used to lessen the
VOC content of coating materials
 To oversimplify, if water replaces some or all of the
organic solvents used in paints, the resultant coating
material contains less VOC
 Electrostatically applying waterborne coatings can be
a problem
 To circumvent this, manufacturers have developed
increasingly sophisticated "voltage-block" systems
 Switching to waterbornes is now easier because of
the new technologies available in voltage-isolating
systems
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PLURAL-COMPONENT GUNS
Plural-Component Guns
 Some coatings, principally urethanes, are supplied as
two components
 They are often referred to as "catalyzed" since the
"catalyst" causes a reaction that leads to curing of the
coating
 An advantage is that low temperatures are sufficient
to cure the coating and thus plastic parts that cannot
tolerate high temperatures can be coated
The coatings also exhibit unusual durability in certain
applications and require less solvent for thinning, thus
improving VOC control
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PLURAL-COMPONENT GUNS
Plural-Component Guns continued
If the two components are mixed before entering a
paint pump or pressure pot, the mixed material must be
sprayed promptly
 It is said to have limited "pot life"
 For this reason, spray guns have been developed
that bring each of the two components into the spray
gun through separate feed lines
 This remedies the "pot-life" problem, since mixing
occurs only at the moment before application
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CO2 SPRAY
CO2 Spray
 The most recent development in spray application
equipment is built to spray coatings formulated with
heated, compressed carbon dioxide
 Carbon dioxide is a liquid and can be used as a
coating thinner
 Since carbon dioxide is naturally present in the
atmosphere and is not considered hazardous
 The system was developed and patented by Union
Carbide under the trade name "Unicarb"
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HYBRIDS
Hybrids
 There are numerous combinations of the
technologies for spray painting
 Such technologies as HVLP and air-assisted airless,
already more efficient in raising TE, can be equipped
with electrostatics to further improve TE and lessen
VOCs
 But you have to test any system that appears to meet
your requirements in YOUR plant, while painting YOUR
mix of parts
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PAINT HEATERS
Paint Heaters
 Heat reduces the viscosity of paint
 Heating paint before it is atomized makes it possible
to spray more viscous paint
 Paint heaters are a well-established, viable means of
lowering VOCs
 If the coating formulation permits use of a paint
heater, it will keep viscosity more constant, improve TE,
lower wear of equipment and improve finish quality and
consistency
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CONVERTIBLE AIR-SPRAY GUNS
Convertible Air-Spray Guns
 Some conventional air-spray
guns can be converted to HVLP
 By inexpensively changing a few
components of these guns, one can
move to HVLP without buying a
whole new gun
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OPERATOR TRAINING
 Training operators of spray
equipment has always been
important, but it becomes even
more so when one considers how
operators' techniques can
influence TE
 Operator training and annual retraining may be the best
investment you can make
 Knowledgeable operators with
good spray techniques can
measurably improve TE without
changing equipment
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OPERATOR TRAINING
Pressures
 Operators sometimes perceive that they can increase
air and fluid pressures to improve speed or reduce
orange peel
 Had they used the right air caps and fluid tips they
might have applied a smoother finish at lower fluid and
air pressures
 As much as 20% of a coating applied can be wasted
by too-high fluid and air pressures
 Use the lowest pressures consistent with finish
quality and productivity
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OPERATOR TRAINING
Exhaust Rates
 In trying to improve transfer efficiency plant engineers
must set air-exhaust rates in spray booths to the lowest
consistent with operator safety and comfort
 Too-high rates can pull more coating onto air-exhaust
filters than is being applied on parts being coated
 OSHA regulations specify minimum flow rates and
you should aim to be close to these rates
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OPERATOR TRAINING
Gun Handling
 A well-trained operator holds the gun perpendicular to
the surface being coated, at a distance of six to eight
inches
 Avoid "arcing" (holding the gun at less than a 90degree angle to the surface)
 Good operators move the spray gun toward the
surface to be coated before triggering
 As they reach the end of the surface being coated,
they release the trigger to stop coating flow
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OPERATOR TRAINING
Gun Handling continued
 Manufacturers of equipment have been paying much
more attention to ergonomic design
 Companies using ergonomically designed guns
report not only greater worker satisfaction and higherquality finishes, but actual improvements in TE
 A competent operator learns how to overlap his
strokes to apply a smooth finish without excessive
thickness
 Your equipment and coating suppliers can help you
with operator training and tell you where to find training
courses for your operators
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FUGITIVE VOC EMISSIONS
 State permits will often dictate either "capture efficiency,"
"overall VOC reduction efficiency," or both
 VOC Reduction can be expressed in the following way:
VOC Reduction = VOC Capture x VOC Destruction
VOC Capture = % of the VOC emissions that is exhausted
to the VOC control
VOC Destruction = % of the VOC emissions that is
exhausted to VOC control that is destroyed
Example:
VOC Destruction for Control Device = 95%
VOC Capture Rate
= 90%
VOC Reduction = 0.95 x 0.90 = 0.855 or 85.5%
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TOTAL ENCLOSURE
EPA Guidelines for "TOTAL ENCLOSURE"
1. VOC sources not close to indraft openings.
2. Minimum openings in room of less that 5% of total
enclosure surface area.
3. Minimum indraft air velocity of 200 fpm.
4. Access doors and windows closed during routine
operation.
5. All exhaust points must be directed to a control
device.
 With "total enclosure," EPA will assume 100% of total
capture under these guidelines.
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CAPTURING FUGITIVE VOC
EMISSIONS
The kinds of equipment needed to capture and convey
the waste gas to a control device are:
(1) hoods - used to capture the emissions at the source
(2) ductwork- to convey them to the control device
(3) stacks - to disperse them after they leave the control
device
(4) fans - to provide the energy for moving them through
the control system
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CONTROL DEVICES
The principle devices are:
 Thermal Oxidation
 Catalytic Oxidation
 Condensation
 Carbon Adsorption
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THERMAL OXIDATION
 Thermal oxidizers are control devices in which
solvent-laden air is preheated and then passed to a
combustion chamber
 In the combustion chamber, volatile organics in the
inlet air stream are ignited and combusted to carbon
dioxide and water
 The two main types of thermal oxidizers are
recuperative and regenerative
 Thermal oxidizers device efficiencies range from 98
to 99 percent
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CATALYTIC OXIDATION
 Catalytic oxidizers, like thermal oxidizers, are control
devices in which solvent-laden air is preheated and then
passed to a combustion chamber
 In the combustion chamber, volatile organics in the
inlet air stream are ignited and combusted to carbon
dioxide and water
 In the presence of a catalyst, combustion will take
place at a lower temperature than that required for
thermal oxidizers
 The catalysts, supported on ceramic or metallic
substrates, are metal oxides or precious metals
 Catalytic oxidizers can achieve control device
efficiencies of 95 to 99 percent
VOC Controls 60/66
© Copyright
Training 4 Today 2001
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
CONDENSATION
 Condensation is a control technique in which one or
more volatile components of a solvent-laden air stream
are separated from the remaining vapor through
saturation followed by a gas-to-liquid phase conversion
(i.e., condensation)
 The recovered organic components can be reused or
sold
 Refrigeration is often employed to obtain the low
temperatures required for acceptable removal
efficiencies
 Removal efficiencies obtained by condensers usually
range from 50 to 90 percent.
VOC Controls 61/66
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Training 4 Today 2001
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
ADSORPTION
 Adsorbers typically use activated carbon as the
adsorptive material
 Adsorber beds are typically operated in parallel so
that when the adsorption capacity of one bed is
exhausted, it can be removed from service and a
second adsorber bed can be put into service
 Carbon adsorption systems can achieve control
device efficiencies between 95 and 99 percent.
VOC Controls 62/66
© Copyright
Training 4 Today 2001
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
HANDLING, STORAGE AND
DISPOSAL OF VOCs
Handling –
Reduce spills and clean up spills immediately
 During atomized cleaning of a spray gun, the
cleaning solvent must be directed into a waste container
fitted with a capture device
Storage  Store all VOCs and materials impregnated with VOCs
in closed containers
Disposal  Handle used VOCs as hazardous waste and always
keep waste VOCs in closed containers
VOC Controls 63/66
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Training 4 Today 2001
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
TIPS FOR USING CONTRACTORS
 Remember, You Control Your Facility or Area!
 Review Procedures With Them Before Starting the Job!
 Ensure They Are Properly Trained!
 Determine Their Environmental Compliance Record!
 Determine Who Is in Charge of Their People!
 Determine How They Will Affect Your Facility’s
Environmental Compliance!
VOC Controls 64/66
© Copyright
Training 4 Today 2001
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL
UST PROGRAM
1. DETAILED WRITTEN VOC CONTROL INSPECTION
GUIDELINES
2. DETAILED WRITTEN VOC CONTROL BEST MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
3. EXTENSIVE EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAMS
4. PERIODIC REINFORCEMENT OF TRAINING
5. SUFFICIENT DISCIPLINE REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION
6. PERIODIC FOLLOW-UP
VOC Controls 65/66
© Copyright
Training 4 Today 2001
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
THE IMPORTANCE OF A
CLEAN ENVIRONMENT
“I would ask all of us to remember
that protecting our environment is
about protecting where we live and
how we live. Let us join together to
protect our health, our economy,
and our communities -- so all of us
and our children and our
grandchildren can enjoy a healthy
and a prosperous life.”
VOC Controls 66/66
© Copyright
Training 4 Today 2001
Carol Browner
Former EPA
Administrator
Published by EnviroWin Software LLC