Solvent laws in Europe
The development
Why LM-Gesetzgebung?
- The chemical decomposition processes of volatile organic compounds (VOC - any organic substance that evaporates at ambient temperature) causes near-ground OZONE to form.
- This is harmful to humans, flora and fauna if certain limits are exceeded
Discussion of safe limits in Europe (24 h mean figure):
- OZON limit, Europe 120 µg/m3
- OZON limit, Germany 65 µg/m3
This means that even with a European directive, each EU member country can set stricter limits.
1. International treaty
1988
30 % reduction in VOC by 1999 as against 1988
- 1% of firms are covered who account for 20% of VOC emissions
- 99 % of firms are not covered by the law, but account for 80% of VOC emissions
2. International treaty 1999
60 - 70 % reduction in VOC by 2010 as against reference period of 1984 - 1990
- can only be achieved if small/medium-sized firms also reduce emissions
EU VOC Directive 2001
- Central element of the directive:
Solvent Management Plan (SMP), with substance balance, input/output account, to monitor more efficient material use.
Reduction in VOC:
- Monitoring of permitted limits in flue gas (only 5 - 30% VOC released in furnaces)
- Promotion of low-solvent coatings, application technologies through reduction plan (till today, only 10 - 20% low-solvent products in use)
Examples of VOC reducing
Permit required - yes/no?
Example: Germany, wood sector
Wood sector, Germany, in concrete terms:
- > 5 - 15 t/a = Solvent balance, possibly with simplified reduction plan, in concrete terms: 2.9 kg/h solvent consumption
- > 15 t/a = Flue gas cleaning, in concrete terms: 8.5 kg/h solvent consumption
Example: Holland, rules for spray applications
- Painter's certificate, painter is tested every four years.
- From 2004, it is planned to have only organisation-certified spray plants for spray applications.
- Guns only permitted with minimum application efficiency (TE) of 72 % according to official test procedure.
Alternative coating materials
- Powder paints (Substrate compatibility, coating thickness, quality)
- Water-based paints (Substrate compatibility, stainless steel equipment, drying)
- High Solids (spray viscosity, multi-components)
- Radiation-hardening paints (Drying, shear/light sensitivity)
Alternative application techniques
- High application efficiency
Electrostatic, AirAssist, HVLP - Multi-component plants
ProBatch, ValueMix, Ecomix, ProMix, PMix - Plant components
Saving in cleaning agents through special design
Example: Holland, rules for spray applications