Purdue News

September 17, 1999 New anti-pollution regulation benefits Indiana plants WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- An employee-training program developed at Purdue University has helped improve quality, reduce pollution and increase profits for Indiana companies that manufacture wood furniture and kitchen cabinets. The industry had been dreading recently enacted federal anti-pollution guidelines that mandated sharp reductions in emissions of toxic chemicals. However, the Purdue program has enabled the companies to not only meet the guidelines but also to save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. The savings are detailed in a report completed this month and sent to state officials. The stricter requirements were mandated by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation called the National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants. It went into effect in 1997 for companies emitting more than 50 tons of hazardous air pollutants annually, and in 1998 for companies emitting less than 50 tons. The regulation was daunting for companies that manufacture wood furniture and kitchen cabinets. It required that plants: Replace conventional spray guns with new equipment that is nearly 50 percent more efficient but challenging to operate properly. Provide annual training programs for employees. Create a "work practice implementation plan" detailing how they are complying with the regulation. Maintain an accounting system to keep track of solvents used. Develop a plan to maintain leak-detection equipment. Companies that fail to comply face a possible $25,000 fine for each violation per day until corrected. "This was an overwhelming regulation, and the furniture industry wasn't sure how to tackle it," said Rick Bauer, a laboratory supervisor engineer at Purdue's Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute. "A lot of equipment was purchased in a very short amount of time, so the learning curve had to be pretty steep to get everybody up to speed." Because the industry is concentrated in Jasper, Ind., a group of manufacturers there sought state funding for technical assistance in meeting the new standard. They received an Indiana Department of Commerce grant of $79,875, which was administered through the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, to pay for technical assistance from the Purdue institute. The institute, part of the university's School of Civil Engineering, began operation in 1994. It was created by the state to provide technical assistance, outreach, education, planning services and research to facilitate pollution prevention by Indiana manufacturers. Eventually, nearly 1,300 employees from 34 companies were trained through the institute program, which includes a two-hour classroom session, individual shop instruction and a training video. The institute also produced a sample work practice plan, which individual companies can modify to suit their own plants. By teaching employees how to better apply the coatings, plants use less material and reduce their emissions. The 34 companies have cut emissions by at least 5 percent, a reduction of 325 tons, saving an estimated $700,000 annually. As a result, industry sees the new regulation as a benefit instead of a burden, Bauer said. "They saw cost reductions and the finish quality going up," he said. "A lot of benefits came out of this. One company reduced its use of cleaning solvents by 50 percent just because of this training program." Using the wrong spraying technique wastes more stains and varnishes as "overspray" that fails to coat wood surfaces. The overspray evaporates and turns into dust that lands on other portions of the furniture that have already been finished, sometimes ruining those finished surfaces. Refinishing the damaged surfaces means doubling the air pollution and materials use. Meanwhile, unnecessary wrist action from poor spray technique can cause injury to the worker, and the wasted chemicals increase the amount of pollutants breathed in by workers. Bauer, an industrial technologist with university training, said he began learning how to spray coatings efficiently while working in his father's collision repair center. He later refined his knowledge while performing EPA-sponsored university research on the efficiency of spray guns. Small adjustments in spraying technique can make large improvements in efficiency. For example, the angle and distance of the gun in relation to the surface being sprayed are major factors in how well the coatings are applied. The training might be used by other industries facing the same sort of EPA regulations, Bauer said. Source: Rick Bauer, (765) 463-4749; rjbauer@ecn.purdue.edu Writer: Emil Venere, (765) 494-4709; emil_venere@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A copy of the report that was presented to state officials is available from Emil Venere at the Purdue News Service, (765) 494-4709; emil_venere@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page