Pollution prevention methods in the surface coating industry

The surface coating industry is rapidly changing to meet environmental and economic pressures. Some of the changes include new formulations which meet environmental regulations, higher performance finishes with improved properties, continued development of solventless technologies such as powder coatings and radiation curable coatings, and new application methods with improved transfer efficiencies. These changes will be accelerated by the 1990 amendments to the U.S. Clean Air Act. These new environmental laws will require industry through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local agencies to further reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are contributors to ozone formation in the lower atmosphere. The focus of this paper will be to examine the paints and coatings industry and those pollution prevention methods that are being applied to meet these environmental pressures. It will review the life cycle of paints and coatings; from its inception in the manufacturing facility to its ultimate application and disposal. It will also review developing low VOC technologies that are being considered worldwide to comply with increasing VOC regulations.