Re: (All) Waste Prevention Technology

[RossRadTec <RossRadTec@aol.com>]

Bob Pojasek has a point. Good P2 technology ahould eliminate the waste and not
replace it with wastes in other media. However, as others have pointed out,
very little in life is 100%. Thus removing a great deal of pollution from one
medium while generating a small amout in another might make a very acceptible
solution. 

In the case of powder coating, Bob has raised the specter of excess powder
becoming a hazardous waste source. When the technology was getting started,
this was a problem. However, powder coating hoods were developed in which
virtually all the over spray was collected and recycled. I don"t believe it is
a major problem any longer.

In the case of radiation curing, involving UV light or low energy electron
beams, the story is even better. These are referred to as 100% solids liquid
coatings. In other words they are liquid but contain no solvents. Upon
irradiation the entire liquid mass copolymerizes and solidifies. There are
vrtually no emissions to the air, in contrast to the large emissions from the
solvent based coatings they are replacing.

In addition there is frequently a decease  in the solid wastes due to the fact
that these coating do not harden when not exposed to the radiation. Thus ,
whereas printers frequently have to stop and clean their presses due to ink
hardening of conventional inks, they can just keep running with UV cured inks.
This saves a large amount of solid waste that is generated on the frequent
start-ups.

There is also a large savings in energy. The radiation curing uses some
electical power for curing but much less than is required by the ovens in
conventional thermal curing. As an example Coors beer has converted completely
to UV curing of their exterior can coatings This has allowed them to eliminate
the huge curing ovens they had previously used with savings in millions of
dollars in fuel costs and a concommitant reduction in criteria air pollutants.

Yes, my dear Pojasek, there are technologies that reduce pollution in one
medium without increasing it in others.

Alexander Ross
RadTech International
RossRadTec@AOL.com