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Compliant (Low/No VOC/HAP) Inks and Coatings | US EPA

05 Jun.,2025

Compliant (Low/No VOC/HAP) Inks and Coatings | US EPA

Description

Many industry sectors involving surface coating operations are currently using coatings and (printing) inks containing low or no Volatile Organic compounds (VOCs) or Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) in the formulation. These materials are often referred to as low- or no- VOC/HAP coatings. Although the term low- or no-VOC/HAP is not definitive in terms of the actual levels of VOC or HAP in a particular coating, most EPA and industry representatives use the term to mean "compliant coatings" or those materials having VOC/HAP contents equal to or less than any applicable limits. Examples of low- and no-VOC/HAP coatings include waterborne, UV-cured, high-solids, and powder coatings.

For more information, please visit Yourun Synthetic Material.

Replacing higher emitting (noncompliant) coatings with lower emitting (compliant) coatings is a good example of how coating manufacturers and end-users are promoting EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) strategy (in accordance with the national policy expressed in the Pollution Prevention Act of ). Pollution prevention is EPA's first priority within an environmental management hierarchy that includes: 1) prevention; 2) recycling; 3) treatment; and 4) disposal or release.

Some examples of studies to evaluate the use of lower emitting coatings or solvents are listed below.

Case Studies: Low-VOC/HAP Wood Furniture Coatings, EPA-600/R-00-043 (PDF) (150 pp, 7.5 MB, About PDF) May
Design for the Environment (DfE): Options for Cleaner Flexographic (Printing) Inks
Printing and Related Support Activites Sector (NAICS 323)
Design for the Environment (DfE): Lithography Publications List, EPA 744-F-96-022 (PDF) March
RCRA in Focus: Printing, EPA 530-K-97-007(15 pp, 240 K, About PDF)

Monitoring Information

Monitoring low- and no-VOC/HAP coatings used in a coating operation is basically a two-step process. First, the owner or operator of the source using such materials demonstrates (and documents) the VOC/HAP content of each low- or no-VOC/HAP coating meets the applicable requirement(s). This can be done by product testing or using product data sheets, material safety data sheets, or other documentation from the coating manufacturer. Secondly, usage of each low- or no-VOC/HAP coating, along with product recovery records, can be monitored using purchase and shipping records or daily/weekly/monthly/yearly usage logs. Monitoring approaches range from maintaining written logs to the use of sophisticated computerized systems for tracking content and usage.

EPA continues to strive for streamlined monitoring requirements for those facilities whose compliance strategies are based on use of compliant materials, including low- and no- VOC/HAP coatings. Streamlining difficulties can result when requirements apply to different pollutants (VOC vs. HAP), use different units of applicability in compliance terms (volume of coating vs. volume of coating solids), and averaging times (daily vs. rolling 12-month averages).

Example Permits

If you elect to monitor compliance by measuring the VOC/HAP content of coatings, the permit application should include the following information:

the numerical compliance limit;
the sampling/measurement method to be used;
the frequency of sampling;
emissions calculation procedures;
the averaging period;
QA/QC procedures; and
recordkeeping procedures.

For most of the recently promulgated surface coating MACT rules, the compliance demonstration must include the calculations and supporting documentation showing that, during the compliance period, the owner or operator of the affected source used no coating with a VOC/HAP content that exceeded any applicable emissions limit. As part of the calculations and supporting documentation, the permittee may be asked to:

determine the mass fraction of VOC/HAP for each material used;
determine the volume fraction of coating solids for each coating;
determine the density of each coating; and
calculate the VOC/HAP content of each coating.

Links to some examples of monitoring requirements when using compliant coatings are presented below.

Example: Surface Coating of Metal Parts and Products

Example: Surface Coating of Metal Cans

General Operating Guidelines for Catalytic Oxidizers - CatOx

There are hundreds of types of catalyst products at work in the world today. This series will focus only on the use of precious metal catalysts used in air pollution control systems. The most traditional air pollution control device that employs a precious metal catalyst is a Catalytic Oxidizer. Although catalysts have been used in Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers as a means to lower the operating temperature and reduce natural gas consumption, they can also be installed in a catalytic reactor or catalyst bed where the pollutants are found in a pre-heated exhaust stream.

Our engineering and service team have compiled an ebook that we hope can help operators of catalytic oxidizers and catalyst reactors achieve optimum performance. Some of the topics discussed in the ebook include:

Catalyst Basics and General Operating Guidelines

Catalyst performance depends on the original design criteria from the catalytic oxidizer manufacturer. Performance is dependent on catalyst volume, pressure, temperature, and the type and concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The performance of the catalyst is related to care in installation to ensure no by-pass or leakage of exhaust gases through the catalyst bed. It is also a function of even, uniform flow and temperature across the face of the catalyst bed. The performance of the catalyst will also depend on how well the catalyst is maintained during its operational life.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Low VOC Catalyst. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

CATALYST TYPES:

Ceramic Monoliths (sometimes called Honeycomb). These products will be installed in a stainless steel module and mounted in a fixed bed or grid. Metal Monoliths (sometimes called Honeycomb). These products will be installed in a stainless steel module and mounted in a fixed bed or grid. Ceramic beads or spheres. These products allow for pourability and are usually contained in a catalyst tray.

TEMPERATURE:

The operating temperature range has been chosen in order to achieve the correct destruction efficiency. The catalyst functions within a specific temperature range. Below the minimum operating temperature, the catalyst will not operate and there will be no destruction of the VOCs. Above the maximum temperature, the catalyst is subject to thermal degradation, which will result in a shortened catalyst life.

PRESSURE DROP:

The presence of the catalyst in the exhaust stream will introduce back pressure or a pressure drop. The result is that more effort is needed to push the exhaust through the system than without the catalyst present. The back pressure induced is a function of the volume of exhaust gas, its temperature, the surface area cross section of the catalyst bed, and the depth of the catalyst. For example, a given exhaust flow at 600° F will have less pressure drop than the same exhaust flow at 800° F. Likewise, a given exhaust flow will have greater pressure drop across a catalyst bed of 12" than for 6".

SPACE VELOCITY:

Your catalyst has been designed for a certain specific space velocity in order to meet the required destruction efficiency of your application. This means that a given number of cubic feet of catalyst was determined for the application based on the exhaust flow rate, the type of solvents exhausted, their concentration, and destruction requirements.

FACE VELOCITY:

Face velocity refers to the speed of the gas traveling through the catalyst bed. The feet per minute (fpm) of air movement, as it is commonly referred to, is the speed of the gas. The measurement can be taken either hot or cold. The typical linear face velocity for VOC catalysts is between 400 and 650 fpm at standard conditions, i.e. 70° F.

LIFE CYCLE CURVE:

Catalyst activity does not typically drop off dramatically under normal circumstances. With annual catalyst testing, the life of a catalyst can be predicted with good accuracy. In some instances, the user will find a noticeable decrease in temperature rise, which can be directly proportional to a drop in the destruction efficiency. From experience, this often occurs between 30,000 and 50,000 operating hours, depending on a variety of factors. The catalyst life is dependent on the type of VOCs, the amount and type of inorganic masking agents present, the number of times cleaned, and operating temperature. Typical catalyst masking agents are silicon, phosphorous, and base metals such as iron, lead, nickel, chrome, tin and titanium.

Read the entire ebook Catalytic Oxidizer Design and Operations Basics for information on:

Catalyst Inhibitors
Analytical Services
Removal and Installation Guidelines

If you working on an air pollution control project and have some questions, please contact us:

Want more information on bismuth catalysts? Feel free to contact us.

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