Abstract |
This report describes the hazardous waste practices in the paint and coatings manufacturing industry, solvent reclaiming operations, and factory-applied coatings facilities. Site surveys of 70 paint plants showed that raw materials packaging, cleaning wastes, dust from air pollution abatement equipment, and waste product are the major process wastes which are generated. Approximately 105,000 tons per year were determined by the contractor to be potentially hazardous due to either the oral toxicity or flammability of waste constituents. The vast majority of the paint industry wastes are combined in a single waste handling system and discarded in off-site landfills by private contractors. The best technology currently applied along with the technology required to provide environmentally adequate treatment and disposal for each waste stream are also provided in the report along with attendant costs. Contract operators reclaim about 270 kkg (300,000 tons) per year of waste organic solvents generated by the manufacture of paint and coatings, metals finishing, degreasing operations, etc. Distillation and evaporation units generate still bottoms as a process waste which represents roughly 25 percent of the feedstock. Most of the still bottoms is incinerated with the ash deposited in landfill. Roughly 45,000 manufacturing establishments have attendant coatings operations in this country. Wastes are generated and, in general, transported by contractors to off-site landfills. |