Improved Reactivity Estimates for Volatile Organic Compounds Used in Architectural Coatings

The College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) proposes expand the scope of our existing three-year California Air Resources Board (CARB) agreement 00-333 to carry out the additional work needed to reduce the uncertainties in estimating the impacts of architectural coatings emissions on photochemical ozone formation and other measures of air quality. The scope of the existing project includes completing development and initial application of a direct reactivity screening method for coatings constituents, conducting environmental chamber experiments to assess ozone and other impacts of Texanol, and developing improved procedures for quantifying reactivities and uncertainties for petroleum distillates. The additional funding will provide for a more comprehensive set of chamber experiments on major water-and solvent-based coatings constituents, and application of the direct reactivity screening method to the full variety of coatings constituents. The environmental chamber experiments will employ the state-of-the art facility being developed under EPA funding for mechanism evaluation under a wider range of conditions than previously practical, including lower pollutant levels. The supplemental funding will permit chamber experiments chamber experiments and direct reactivity measurements for selected petroleum distillates, particularly the higher reactivity materials whose ozone impacts are most uncertain, and chamber experiments with selected water-based coatings constituents not being studied under the current project. The specific coatings compounds and petroleum distillate mixtures chosen for study will be determined in consultation with the ARB staff and industry advisory groups. The additional funding requested is approximately $240,000, bringing the total budget for the existing 3-year project to approximately $300,000. iii CONTENTS