Environmental Services Division
State of Michigan
Departments of
Commerce and Natural Resources
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Reuse &Amp; Redevelopment Small Business Clean Air
Assistance
April 1994
#9304
"A Partnership to Benefit Both Economic Development and the Environment"
This is a compilation of pollution prevention initiatives by auto companies under the Auto Industry Pollution Prevention Project (Auto Project). The Auto Project is a partnership between the State of Michigan and Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (auto companies) to focus pollution prevention efforts on persistent toxic substances that adversely affect the Great Lakes basin.
McGraw Glass cuts, prints and shapes vehicle windows (windshields, backlights, side and rear windows) for use by Chrysler Corporation assembly plants in the U.S. and Canada. The company has been very proactive in attempting to minimize both solid and hazardous waste. As a result, efforts are underway to eliminate or reduce to the extent possible the amount and number of toxic materials used.
One of the targeted materials is a ceramic black glaze paint that is used for both aesthetics and as an Ultraviolet (UV) light shield for an adhesive that is applied to the glass where the interior trim abuts the window. The adhesive is sensitive to UV light and requires the "blackout" to prevent the adhesive from losing its bond strength. The paint is applied to the glass in a "silkscreening" process.
The black ceramic glaze paint currently in use at McGraw Glass contains lead. A program has been launched to develop, test and approve a lead-free black ceramic glaze paint. It is anticipated that a suitable substitute for the paint that contains lead will be approved and in use at the plant by late 1993 or early 1994.
The new lead-free reformulated material, in combination with replacement solvents that have flash points higher than 140 degrees fahrenheit, would result in the waste from this operation being classified as nonhazardous. This new lead-free paint with suitable higher flash solvent would enable the plant to eliminate approximately 700 drums of hazardous waste per year.
The new paint is extremely viscous and has a consistency similar to molasses, which makes it both difficult to handle and to fully utilize all of the material from supply containers. As a result, the plant is investigating methods to reduce the volume of nonhazardous waste that will be generated, including providing a washer for empty cans and screens and/or compacting and granulating the empty ceramic glaze cans.
McGraw Glass continues to review its waste stream and look for ways to reduce the quantity and toxicity of waste generated.
Based on Toxic Release Inventory data, toluene and trichloroethylene have been identified as the two Great Lakes Persistent Toxic (GLPT) substances, which have the highest volume of releases from Ford plants. Manufacturing and other sources that use these materials are priority processes for evaluation. Consultant-assisted waste prevention opportunity assessments that evaluate many in-plant processes were recently completed at two plants within the Great Lakes states. Each of these plants identified opportunities to reduce wastes in the areas of hydrocarbon solvents (e.g. xylene, acetone), packaging materials and plastics.
With regard to specifically listed GLPT substances, a plant in Michigan reduced the release of toluene. This was accomplished by changing the way paint "build-up" is removed from fixtures used to hold decorative parts in position for painting. Previously, paint was "stripped" from these fixtures using a toluene-based solvent. In the revised method, solvent is not used. A molten salt is used in place of the toluene to remove the plaint from the fixtures. This change in processing reduces the release of toluene by about 23,000 pounds annually.
The second plant, in Indiana, replaced two trichloroethylene (TCE) degreasers used for cleaning oil from metal tubing with water wash systems. Testing and pilot evaluation indicated that such a process change could maintain product quality and reduce the overall environmental impact from the manufacture of these parts. Implementation of the new system reduces the release of TCE by approximately 50,000 pounds per year.
General Motors' Facilities Management Section of the Lansing Automotive Division decided to remove chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from its operations wherever possible because of the ozone-depleting potential.
The Lansing Automotive Division (LAD) identified uses of CFCs throughout its Lansing manufacturing facilities. Starting in September 1989. General Motors' Chemical Substances Information System was used to identify CFC-containing materials that were approved for purchase and which departments were authorized to purchase them. Departments were sent a letter asking whether there was a non-CFC material that could be substituted, with follow-up reminders as needed.
When departments responded that acceptable and cost-effective alternatives were available, LAD removed the CFC-containing materials from the list it had approved for purchase. By mid-1990, all the target materials had been identified. By mid-1992, suitable substitutes had been identified for each one, and products with no CFCs have been purchased by LAD plants since that time.
LAD identified one material, a mixture of Freon 11 and Freon 12, that was used extensively as a degreaser. It was purchased in 24-ounce spray cans and used at the rate of approximately 15,000 pounds per year throughout the complex. Testing revealed that HCFC-141B was an acceptable substitute for degreasing operations. Although HCFC-141B also has some ozone-depleting action, it has only about 12 percent of the ozone-depletion potential of the Freons it replaced. In addition, LAD identified changes in internal material controls to reduce the use of aerosol cans of degreaser by up to 40 percent.
This program was approved and implemented in April 1993 as part of the Non-Production Material approval system. This new Chrysler program focuses on pollution prevention practices that eliminate, substitute or reduce to the extent possible, regulated substances from products supplied to Chrysler, as well as its own manufacturing processes. This screening approach integrates environmental, occupational health and safety requirements as well as recycling concerns. Chrysler's environmental protection strategy for the 1990s and beyond focuses on avoiding the use of regulated substances and materials of concern whenever possible in an effort to preclude the need for "end-of-pipe" controls. This approach will not only contain the use of materials of concern, but will allow Chrysler to focus attention on transferring successful reduction efforts to existing part numbers. This pollution prevention initiative will add value to the products Chrysler sells, as well as protect employees, the communities in which the company operates and the environment.
This program is supported by Corporate Standards and Manufacturing Technical Instructions, which focuses the earliest attention of Chrysler engineers and designers on the environmental impact of their decisions, in addition to technical and product quality implications.
To ensure elimination, substitution and/or reduction of the regulated substances, the new part screening program has been implemented as part of the nonproduction Restricted Parts Approval System. A similar system will be implemented shortly and integrated into Chrysler's Production Part Approval System. Additionally, suppliers are being requested to certify their parts regarding the presence of Chrysler's identified materials of concern.
One example of Chrysler's successes in eliminating one of the 65 persistent toxic chemicals identified in the Auto Project was its refusal to approve a transmission fluid for Chrysler's new TE Van, which contained 10-30 percent Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (CAS 00085-68-7). This was accomplished by working with suppliers and the design team to identify a suitable substitute material. The criteria for the substitute material was that it did not contain one of Chrysler's listed materials of concern and met all other performance requirements.
Lead-acid batteries are used throughout Ford Motor Company for a number of purposes. To encourage recycling, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act exempts generators of spent lead-acid batteries from federal hazardous waste management requirements when recycling batteries. Consistent with the federal exemption, Ford has established its own guidelines to improve handling and reclamation of spent lead-acid batteries. Included are both automotive and industrial batteries.
Ford's Hazardous Waste Minimization Committee studied the handling and removal procedures for lead-acid batteries with the intent to minimize the potential for release of lead to the environment. Based on the committee's work, in April 1992 Ford's Environmental Quality Office and Purchasing and Supply staff issued guidelines directing that all spent industrial lead-acid batteries be sent to company-approved reclamation facilities. Ford facilities across North America are directed to have industrial batteries recycled by these reclamation facilities. Ford's automotive battery supplier has established a program to take back automotive batteries for recycling, and Ford facilities have been directed to return automotive batteries to this supplier for recycling. Through this program, spent automotive lead-acid batteries are properly reclaimed.
Ford guidelines also set requirements for on-site handling of spent lead-acid batteries. As part of the requirements, these batteries are kept away from soil, surface water and sewerage systems at the facility. The facility must also have a designated storage area for spent lead-acid batteries. The storage area must be able to contain any acid spills that may occur.
Labeling requirements are also set for the storage and off-site transportation of spent lead-acid batteries. A 24-hour emergency telephone number, as required by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), is included in the guidelines for Ford facilities. The use of USDOT "CORROSIVE" labels on all pallets is required.
The guidelines for Ford facilities are intended to minimize pollution through improved handling and ultimate reclamation of spent lead-acid batteries.
General Motors' Lansing Fabrication Plant 3, in Lansing, Michigan, builds hoods, trunk lids and doors for several models of GM vehicles. As part of this procedure, adhesives are used (along with spot welds in some cases) to attach the exterior metal "skin" to interior reinforcements that provide strength and stability and control deformation in a crash. In the past, these solvent-based adhesives contained approximately 3.5 lbs of toluene per gallon. All of this solvent eventually evaporated into the air.
The engineers at Lansing Assembly Division (LAD), which has divisional responsibility for the operations of several Lansing facilities--and their colleagues in Plant 3--decided to reduce these emissions by finding alternative materials that do not contain solvents.
When the group expressed a desire to use a nonsolvent adhesive, a vendor identified an adhesive that appeared to meet the appropriate criteria. After some preliminary testing, the team arranged to "pilot" the adhesive on hood assemblies for one body style in 1989. It proved to be acceptable in the actual manufacturing process.
Building on the successful use of a nonsolvent adhesive, the Lansing team has expanded the use to the hood assemblies of two other body styles, and to the hood, trunk lid and doors of a third- -almost all of its adhesive operations. The most recent conversion was completed in June 1992. The group hopes to convert the one remaining operation in the future.
The change to a nonsolvent adhesive has eliminated the release of 300 tons per year of toluene to the environment. In addition, any adhesive residues and/or containers are nonflammable, and are therefore safely handled as a nonhazardous waste and can be disposed of at a lower cost. As a result, Plant 3's hazardous waste was reduced from 3,000 gallons to 400 gallons per year.
There was a small material-cost penalty for substituting the nonsolvent adhesive during the phasein period when the volume of purchases was relatively low. Now that the material is used and purchased in normal production volumes, there is also a cost savings from the nonsolvent material.
Manometers, which are used widely in Chrysler's research and development programs, are typically filled with mercury. This type of equipment is prone to damage during the testing process, which increased the risk of mercury spills. Mercury is considered to be a persistent toxic, which is known to adversely affect water quality in the Great Lakes and is also targeted for reduction under EPA's 33/50 program.
Chrysler has instituted a program to reduce mercury usage associated with testing operations through the following means:
Ford Motor Company includes pollution prevention in its business planning practices. Ford's Climate Control Division (CCD) makes aluminum heat exchangers, such as radiators, heater cores, condensers and evaporators. A project is being piloted at a Ford facility in the Great Lakes Basin that has potential to eliminate the use of trichloroethylene (TCE) during the manufacture of these components.
In the traditional process, the TCE is heated and used to "degrease" or clean oil from very thin aluminum parts that are used to make the heat exchanger. After cleaning, the parts are assembled and brazed together as a coherent and leak-free unit. Although the degreaser includes a vapor collection system for re-use of the TCE within the process, some TCE remains on the high-surface-area parts and evaporates outside of the process equipment. This process generates a significant percentage of all the chlorinated solvents released annually by the company.
One alternative that appeared to have potential for replacing the TCE in this process was the use of a detergent and aqueous solution (water wash), which would not etch or damage the aluminum parts. A variety of detergents were tested using a small bench scale process. The two best performing classes of detergents were then used in low volume trials. At the same time, a design for a detergent and aqueous system was developed. With assistance from a supplier, an enclosed water spray system was chosen where the parts were moved through the spray areas by a belt feeder. The washer was designed with three sections: (1) a pre-wash for easy to remove oil; (2) detergent wash to loosen and remove oil attached to the part surface; and (3) a water rinse.
In January 1992, a low production volume prototype unit was installed and tested for about six months. During this testing, critical process evaluations were made to assure that the aluminum parts would not be etched by the aqueous detergents and that they would meet Ford's brazing process requirements. Equipment operating parameters for the aqueous process were also established during this pilot evaluation.
The low-volume aqueous pilot evaluation was very successful. This process was found compatible with current and future braze processes. The pilot unit is currently being refitted to include controls necessary for a long-term production process. It will then be relocated to a Ford plant in Indiana where it will support production needs and begin reducing the dependency on TCE.
Based on the results of the testing, in August 1992, Ford CCD recommended that the aqueous process replace all existing TCE degreasers world-wide on a normal business cycle basis.
The Packard Electric Division of General Motors (GM), headquartered in Warren, Ohio, is the largest producer of automotive wiring harnesses in the world and is the sole supplier of wiring harnesses to GM's North American Operations. In recovering copper from the wiring harnesses, Packard Electric was generating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) scrap insulation. The wiring insulation contained a lead-based stabilizer, a standard practice in the automotive industry.
Disposing of four million pounds of scrap PVC per year into a hazardous waste landfill was expensive, costing a penalty of $1 million. Therefore, Packard Electric sought to develop an alternative insulation with no hazardous waste characteristics. Because Packard Electric mixes its own PVC extrusion compound, there was also an opportunity to improve the work environment by reducing potential exposure to lead.
A plastics engineer at Packard Electric initiated an effort to replace the lead-based stabilizer in August 1991. The work of internal GM research both in the U.S. and Europe was quickly reviewed, as well as the activities of competitors and suppliers. No solutions were found. Turning instead to Packard's own on-site development laboratory, a new heavy metal-free stabilizer system was developed that met performance requirements. Unfortunately, the cost of the new material was even greater than the additional landfill cost.
Not giving up easily, the development team began working with suppliers to reformulate the new stabilizer system and reduce its cost. Success came in March 1992 with a heavy metal-free stabilizer system that was competitive with the cost of the original lead-based stabilizer. A patent application has already been submitted. It is planned that by the end of September 1992 all PVC insulation produced at Packard Electric will be lead-free.
Not only will the new insulation formulation save Packard Electric hazardous waste disposal costs and provide a safer work environment for its employees, but GM cars of the future will not have lead-containing wire insulation that might otherwise pose a problem for automobile recyclers.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of chemicals used principally as a coolant and flame-retardant fluid in high voltage electrical equipment. PCBs are one of the most persistent toxics found in the automotive industry, and as a result, Chrysler instituted a program to eliminate PCB-containing equipment from all of its facilities by 1998. Chrysler's program objectives are to minimize risk to the environment through the elimination of:
Two to three transformers are usually replaced during a period in which a facility is scheduled to be shut down for 48 hours or longer.
Delco Remy, of Anderson, Indiana, has aggressive programs to recover and recycle lead from its battery-making operations. But while the battery plants have always removed lead from wastewater, the lead was not recyclable due to other parameters of the wastewater. As part of this program, plant personnel decided to recover the lead from process water in a manner that made it suitable for recycling.
In 1990, plant personnel, lead by Project Engineer Paul Ruegamer, installed a holding tank in the wastewater treatment facility at the Muncie plant. Process water that contains lead is diverted to this tank and a proprietary chemical mixture is added. This mixture allows the lead to settle to the bottom when the tank contents are neutralized despite the other chemicals in the water. (This proprietary mixture was identified through a cooperative effort between plant personnel and a chemical vendor). After the lead settles, 90 percent of the wastewater is "decanted"--removed without disturbing the material that has settled to the bottom of the tank. This water passes through a sand filter to remove any remaining lead and then is sent to the city's water treatment plant for additional treatment.
The remaining water and lead are agitated with air to put the lead back into suspension. This mixture of suspended lead and water is pumped from the tank into a filter press where the water is removed, filtered through sand and sent to the municipal wastewater treatment facility. The dried, solid material containing lead is sent to a secondary smelter (along with various other lead-bearing scrap from Delco Remy processes) to reclaim the lead. This filter "cake" is approximately 40 percent lead.
As a result of this Delco Remy effort, approximately 24,000 pounds of lead are captured for reuse each year at the Muncie plant. Building on this success, Delco Remy installed similar control systems, using clarifiers rather than a holding tank, at its Anaheim, California plant in 1991 and its Fitzgerald, Georgia plant in 1992. Installation of such a facility at the New Brunswick, New Jersey plant began in late 1992 and will be completed by mid-1993. A total of approximately 125,000 pounds of lead are reclaimed and recycled each year from the wastewater of the Delco Remy plants.
Assembly plants account for roughly 90 percent of Chrysler's total impact on the environment. The paint shop accounts for 90 percent of an assembly plant's total releases. Painting operations use Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as carriers to apply solids to the vehicle. Although some of the VOCs are also listed as toxic chemicals, less than five percent of the solvents, on average, contain Great Lakes persistent toxics. Chrysler has placed an increased focus on material and process technologies to remove the toxins at the source. In order to exploit the most cost-effective means of minimizing toxic releases, Chrysler's strategy focused on "true" source reduction. This strategy involves both emerging coating materials and technologies that do not include toxics and reformulation of current materials to remove materials of concern.
Strategies to reduce toxic releases from Chrysler's facilities are targeted at a much broader range of materials than the 65 persistent toxics known to adversely affect water quality in the Great Lakes (e.g. SARA 313 toxic chemicals, Clean Air Act list of 189 hazardous air pollutants, EPA's 33/50 list of 17 high priority toxics, lists covering state and local programs, TOSCA, OSHA, etc.). As a result of the company's strong desire to eliminate future regulatory burden, the following toxics-reduction projects are either under way or planned for the near future:
The General Motors Inland Fisher Guide Livonia plant produces soft trim for the interiors of automobiles. Some of these trim pieces, such as door inner panels, are assemblies produced by gluing together smaller parts. This enables the plant to produce panels combining a variety of colors, textures and materials.
In the past, the adhesive used to assemble Cadillac Fleetwood door panels contained Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The adhesives in this process generated approximately 20 tons of emissions per year.
"The first step in finding a way to reduce emissions was to identify solvent-free adhesives that looked promising and then evaluate them in this specific process," explained Mike Melekian, Senior Environmental Engineer at the Livonia facility.
"We have very high quality standards, and an adhesive that is great in one process might not measure up in another where the materials are slightly different," he stated."It can be risky to change from a proven material. You worry that the new material might work okay in production and still lead to product failures in the field with the passage of time. Many engineering and trial hours are required to test a new material adequately."
Several potential water-based adhesives were identified and eventually one that met the quality requirements are implemented. The plant has been using the new adhesive since the beginning of 1993. As a result, the 20 tons of VOC emissions have been eliminated.
Among the chemicals in the previous material were: 4 percent methylene chloride, 30 percent methyl ethyl ketone, 30 percent hexane, and 14 percent toluene.
In addition to abating VOC emissions, the change converted the solid waste stream of the process from hazardous to nonhazardous.
"The waste from the solvent-based adhesive was classified as a flammable solid. We generated about a drum-full each week and sent it to a hazardous waste incinerator at a cost of about $500 per drum," Melekian said."Now we are improving local air quality, and we can dispose of the waste from the booth as a nonhazardous waste," Melekian said.
Chrysler's Dayton Thermal Products facility produces radiators, heater cores, fuel pumps, vapor canisters, plastic housings and air conditioning units for use in various vehicle makes and models. Processes used to produce the products include injection molding, bending, forming, assembly, soldering, painting, degreasing, grinding and cleaning. Raw materials used at the plant include lead solder, aluminum, steel, copper/brass sheet and ribbon and process-related chemicals. Over eight million units are produced each year at this plant.
In the past, radiators were protected by spray painting with a coating containing chromium. This process rendered the overspray paint waste or sludge that was generated hazardous. The collected sludge was shipped to an approved hazardous waste disposal facility. In an effort to minimize risk associated with hazardous material constituents and resultant waste, the plant targeted this coating that contained chromium for reformulation. The plant then contacted vendors to produce and test reformulated materials that met performance specifications for the required surface coating. The initial tests were rigorous and included, for example, an accelerated salt spray corrosion test. Only two products successfully passed all tests. These two products were then evaluated in a more comprehensive production pilot test. The product that exhibited the best quality on a consistent basis was chosen as the chromium-free material substitute.
The substitute that was chosen is a water-based material that is both chromium and lead-free (the original paint was also lead-free). Dayton Thermal has also realized a substantial Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) reduction using the new water-based material.
Using the chromium-free paint will eliminate approximately 18,000 gallons, or 90 cubic yards of hazardous waste per year that was previously landfilled at a hazardous waste disposal facility.
The plant has successfully eliminated releases of chromium and continues to make strides toward reducing the number of hazardous constituents used in the manufacture of its products.
The quality of an automobile's paint job is a major factor in a customer's decision on which vehicle to buy. So automakers work hard to keep the quality of the final finish high. Part of this effort involves preparing the vehicle for painting and then applying the paint correctly and well. A second, less obvious area of effort, involves the careful cleaning of paint spraying equipment each time the color of paint being applied is changed. This is necessary to insure that each vehicle of a given color is uniform and consistent. A third area involves careful cleaning of the paint booth (the area in which vehicles are painted) to prevent any stray drops or flakes of old paint from dropping onto subsequent paint jobs. The solvent used to clean the spray equipment between color changes also is used for cleaning portions of the spray booth. This solvent is generally referred to as "purge solvent."
One unintended side effect of cleaning with purge solvent is that the solvent readily evaporates into a form of air pollutant called Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs. These VOC emissions count against the manufacturer's permitted operating emission levels. And since cleaning contributes only indirectly to product quality, cleaning emissions are an attractive target for reductions in plant emissions.
Bill Bennett, General Supervisor of Sanitation at General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant, is responsible for that plant's paint booth cleaning activities. Bennett concluded that so long as the booths were cleaned well, some of the cleaning could take place less frequently. In March 1993 he initiated a new booth-cleaning schedule at the plant.
Prior to March, the entire paint booth was cleaned after every other day of production. Since then, only the sections of the main paint booths in which people work are cleaned every other day. The automated section of the painting operations are now thoroughly cleaned once a week.
"The automatic equipment is used for the easier jobs, so the transfer efficiency in those areas is better," Bennett explained. "That means more paint goes on the vehicles and less onto the booth. Also, we don't have to provide as clean and safe a working environment for robots."
The only modification that was required by the less frequent cleaning was increasing the size of the holes in the floor grating in the automated areas. The larger holes were necessary to provide proper air flow rates and booth conditions with thicker paint accumulations on the grates.
The booths where primer paint is applied and where paint defects are repaired also were switched from every-other-day to once-a-week cleaning. The primer is applied automatically and the repair area is a much lower volume operation, so once a week is fine," Bennett explained.
In addition to changing the cleaning frequency, Bennett and the on-site solvent supplier's representative began monitoring the amount of purge solvent used in each booth for both production and booth-cleaning. They shared this information with the painting and cleaning teams. This helped the teams identify the most efficient cleaning techniques. The data also provided an early warning if equipment problems resulted in increased use of purge solvent.
How much did all these changes reduce VOC emissions? In 1992 the Fairfax Assembly Plant used slightly more than a gallon of purge solvent for each vehicle produced. From April through June 1993, they averaged about 5/8 gallon.
"Neither of these numbers account for the fact that we recover two-thirds of the purge solvent we use," Bennett notes. "But even so, we've cut our emissions from purge solvent almost in half."
When the VOC emissions reductions achieved by solvent recycling and by reduced booth cleaning are combined, the result is impressive. In 1992, VOC emissions from purge solvent totaled 460 tons. The projected total for 1993 is 91 tons.
Note: The constituents of purge solvent include: Dimethyl-benzene; 2-Propanone; 4-methyl-2-pentanone; Butyl ester acetic acid; Light aromatic solvent naphtha; Ethyl-benzene; hydrotreated heavy naphtha; 2-butanone; toluene, and 1-butanol.
For further information on these pollution prevention initiatives or on the Auto Industry Pollution Prevention Project, contact:
Office of Waste Reduction Services
Departments of Commerce and Natural
Resources
Environmental Services Division
P.O. Box 30004 Lansing, MI
48909-7504
(517) 335-1178
Toll Free in Michigan: 1-800-NO-2-WASTE
The Office of Waste Reduction Services is a partnership between the Michigan Departments of Commerce and Natural Resources.
Last Updated: January 31, 1996