degreasing - mntap · finding the best product for the job projects to replace high voc and hap...

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SOURCE2016 Issue 1

Industrial cleaners and degreasers contain volatile organic compounds, which contribute to smog and air pollution,

as well as hazardous air pollutants known to cause a variety of health issues in the people who work with them. Small degreasing operations, such as those carried out in automo-tive and industrial cleaning, are estimated to add 14% of all industrial VOC air pollution in Minnesota.

MnTAP is working to improve Minnesota’s air quality and reduce employee health risk, with grant support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One effort is helping businesses reduce solvents used for degreasing while main-taining effectiveness without increasing costs. To accomplish this, the project team evaluated VOC emissions levels and human and environmental risk factors in the products being used in select facilities, investigated alternatives that would decrease those factors, and tested the new products within the facilities for effectiveness and employee satisfaction. In return for being part of the project, MnTAP supplied a trial amount of the chosen alternative product to encourage continued use and adoption.

What’s in this stuff?Many common products used in automotive and industrial degreasing operations also contain hazardous air pollutants, chemicals that can cause cancer, respiratory, eye and skin sensitivities and reproductive deficiencies, to name a few is-sues. Xylene, toluene, ethyl benzene or methanol are some of the most common hazardous air pollutants found in industrial cleaners and degreasers and should be avoided.

How to choose the best product?Choosing safer industrial cleaning products isn’t easy. Ingredients lists are often incomplete or so small they are il-legible. If you can find the list of ingredients, comparing their VOCs and HAPs can be complicated, requiring knowledge of chemistry or toxicity. What’s more, ingredients strong enough to clean greasy industrial parts still carry some measure of toxicity, no matter how low their VOC emissions. So how do you choose?

In this special issue on degreasing, we illustrate some success stories, list greener products we’ve tested and provide a tear-off tip sheet to use when evaluating your current product or looking for a safer one.

MnTAP Pilots 23 EPA VOC Reduction Projects

Insidepg. 2 2015 resultspg. 3 ongoing projectspg. 4-7 special projects: degreasing

pg. 8 intern program Degrea

sing

[email protected] | 800.247.0015 | MnTAP SOURCE | 2015 issue 1page 2

2015 in review

MnTAP Serves 245 Companies in 2015MnTAP delivers technical support statewide

From Moorehead to Mankato, Hibbing to Luverne, MnTAP assisted 245 Minnesota companies, conducted 120 site visits and completed 13 intern projects in 2015. Resource reductions include:

• 2.3 million kWh and 238,000 therms of energy• 23.7 million gallons of water• 503,200 pounds of waste.

These environmental improvements help make our state cleaner, avoid excess health impacts to Min-nesotans, and contribute to the strength of businesses through cost savings. For more 2015 successes, see the MnTAP Environmental Benefits Report at www.mntap.umn.edu/resources/reports/EnvBenefits/2015EBR.pdf

2015 Implemented Outcomes*

Reductions

ActivityWaste Energy Water Cost Savings

Air Emission (lb) Hazardous (lb) Non-Hazardous/Solid Waste (lb) Electric (kWh) Gas (Therms) (gallons)

Site Visits 126,600 26,900 3,800 313,000 --- 8,700,000 $249,000

Interns 0 98,500 156,100 2,011,000 238,000 15,000,000 $673,000

Materials Exchange 0 0 91,300 --- --- --- $500

TOTAL SAVINGS 503,200 2.30 million 238,000 23.7 million $922,000

*one year savings, including projects that ended in 2015 but began earlier

Unison lowers VOCs with green biz grantA $50,000 City of Minneapolis Green Business Grant matched by company in-vestments empowered Minneapolis-based Unison Comfort Technologies, a manufac-turer of heating, ventilation and cooling systems, to install a new paint system.

MnTAP helped the business analyze paint and solvent formulations to ensure that the new system would greatly improve air quality by lowering volatile organic compounds and hazardous air polluants.

Implementation of low-HAP paints and HAP-free solvents resulted in an annual

reduction of 6,800 pounds of VOCs and 7,450 pounds of HAPs. The new booth itself is big enough to contain the large air handling systems that are manufactured and painted by the company, and the booth doubles as a curing oven, allowing the paint to dry without exposing the rest of the shop to the vapors. The new system is impressive and the outcome reflects how success can be attained through collaboration with MnTAP and other partners.

Minnesota Technical Assistance Program

page 3 800.247.0015 or 612.624.1300 | www.mntap.umn.edu | MnTAPUMN | @MnTAP_UMN

2016 Projects: Ready to Reduce Your Business Waste?

ongoing projects

Energy is a significant part of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) op-erating cost — between 25-40% — and has the greatest potential

for reduction. A stellar example of energy efficiency best practices is the WWTP operated by the city of North Branch, which has been estimated to perform in the top 6% nationally, saving $36K a year compared to the average performing plant of similar size and load (based on an extrapola-tion of the Energy Star® benchmarking algorithm for wastewater plants).

How do they do it? The North Branch plant started with energy efficient design features and aims for continuous small improvements. Features include:

• automatic dissolved oxygen controls • variable frequency drives • minimal aeration of biosolids• instrumentation allowing identification of

optimal equipment operating points. Read more about the North Branch project on the MnTAP website: www.mntap.umn.edu/POTW/resources/NorthBranch-BestPractices.pdf

As part of an ongoing project to promote energy reduction in Minnesota WWTPs, MnTAP is conducting no-cost assessments and training across the state through 2017. Spaces are limited, so call now!

For info, contact Karl de Wahl: 612-624-4645 or [email protected].

Plenty of opportunities to save energy in wastewater treatment plants

Ready to find efficiencies in your paint and powder coating operation?

MnTAP launched the E3 in Painting and Powder Coating Operations project in late 2015. This industrial sector can reap considerable environ-

mental and cost savings through: • Pollution prevention opportunties, VOC reduction and green chemistry• Energy conservation options from compressed air and process ventilation• Application of Lean tools in the industry’s multi-step manufacturing

processes.

The intern project at Schwing America is an example of energy savings that can be found through implementation of Lean principles. The facility’s paint room used a significant amount of energy to maintain clean air within the

building, as did the air exchange required to heat and cure the product. An analysis of energy use in multiple paint booths found that alternating loading patterns could minimize unnessesary energy use, potentially saving over 24,000 kWh and 2,500 therms and more than $5,000 a year. Read more about the Schwing intern project on pages 20-21 of the 2013 Solutions: www.mntap.umn.edu/intern/pdf/2013Solutions.pdf

MnTAP partners with Enterprise Minnesota and the Manufacturers Alliance to provide onsite Lean manufacturing training or value stream mapping and kaizen blitz.

For info, contact Paul Pagel: 612-624-4638 or [email protected].

US EPA Wastewater Infrastructure Accelerator Over the next 3 years project partners, including the MN Dept of Commerce, will engage with water resource recovery facilities to accelerate a pathway toward sustainable infrastructure for the future.

See more at: http://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/accelerators/wastewater-infrastructure


industrial cleaning and degreasing

Degreasing: Finding Safer Products That Work

You need to be both sleuth and scientist to investigate chemical cleaners and degreasers, identify their environmental and human health risks, and choose a safer, greener alternative with the power to do the

job. Luckily, the MnTAP degreasing team of Jane Paulson, Jon Vanyo, Michelle Gage and Matt Domski have the chops for the task.

Project team leader Jane earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin and has 15 years experience as a manufacturing process and development engineer. Jon received a B.S. in aeronautical and mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before joining MnTAP. Michelle and Matt both earned their B.S. degrees at the University of Minnesota. Michelle received a materials science and engineering degree, with minors in chemistry and astrophysics, and has completed comparative chemical hazard assessment training known as GreenScreen. Matt studied bioproducts marketing and manag-ment as well as corporate environmental management before coming to MnTAP to act as MnTAP’s solid waste specialist.

Finding the best product for the jobProjects to replace high VOC and HAP cleaning and degreasing products have been completed or are in process at 23 businesses — 14 auto shops, 7 industrial plants, a county facility and a technical college — evaluating and testing a variety of solvents to find the best match for the business. To evaluate a product, the team compares the contents against the following lists: EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients and HAPs; Minnesota Dept. of Health Chemicals of High Concern; and California Air Resource Board’s MIR values, which rates potential for ozone creation. Once substitions were identified, the team partnered with the facility to test the new products on-site. If an alternative was proven to work, measurements were taken to quantify the VOC and HAP reductions. Watch videos of all the projects highlighted in this issue; click www.mntap.umn.edu/Webinar/past_projects.html and scroll to the degreasing section.

Staff snapshot: Degreasing Busters

Anoka-based Lakeland Tool and Engineering, a precision mold manufactur-er and molder, was using a heavy duty laquer thinner containing toluene

and other HAPs to clean its paint gun system. MnTAP recommended the laquer

thinner be replaced with acetone, which is VOC-exempt (not expected to meaningfully contribute to ozone), has much lower health risks for employees

and was available at the same cost. “We noticed right away that there was a change because the new cleaner doesn’t smell as bad but it works just as well,” said one Lakeland employee.

An even more successful product change was the replacement of three dif-ferent solvents used for cleaning the molds. MnTAP recommended Lakeland swap the aerosols they were using with a single, waterbased cleaner that was able to handle it all: Zep Tuff Green. After an initial trial in the tool cleaning room, the new product was introduced throughout the plant.

These changes resulted in the elimination of over 1,200 lbs of VOCs and a reduction of over 2,400 lbs of smog-producing ozone. The new product is available in concentrated form and can be dispensed from reusable squirt bottles, eliminating 1,600 aerosol cans from solid waste. Best of all, Lake-land was able to reduce the number of cleaning products needed in inven-tory; they expect to see a savings of $7,000 per year on cleaning products without any reduction in cleaning ability.

Water-based cleaners wipe away VOCs

Degreaser Busters: Matt Domski, Michelle Gage, Jane Paulson and Jon Vanyo




Brake cleaner is the most commonly used solvent in

automotive repair shops, most of which contain hazardous air pollut-ants, despite some being marketed as environmentally friendly.

Given the health risks associated with some ingredients in brake cleaners, Grandview wanted to find

a green alternative. After some testing, the best choice for Grandview Auto was CRC Brakleen 05050, which reduced their VOC emissions by 850 lbs and HAPs by 30 lbs annually.

Already incorporated into Grandview’s operations was the use of refillable sprayers. They use compressed air-powered Sure Shot sprayers to dispense the brake cleaner, which they buy in bulk in 55 gallon drums. Grandview owner Rick

Murphy estimates a $300-400 annual savings by buying bulk brake cleaner and $1,000-1,500 from using reusable sprayers instead of aerosol cans, not to mention what they are saving in environmental disposal costs.

Murphy recommends steel sprayers with handle triggers. He says the ones he buys last 10-12 years and the parts that wear are out, such as nozzles and O-rings, are easy to replace via the manufacturer.

Better brake cleaner, refillable sprayers offer grand savings at Grandview

A ggressive Hydraulics, which manufactures hydraulic cylinders in Bethel, was using an aerosol brake cleaner containing toluene to

remove lubricant, metal chips and grease from their cylinders prior to assembly. In the interest of employee health, reducing pollution and waste and saving money, the company enlisted MnTAP to help find a better degreasing option.

After testing multiple alternatives on Aggressive’s cleaning operations, Su-perClean water-based degreaser was found to have the power to handle lightly-soiled parts, which make up about three-quarters of the cleaning operations in the facility. SuperClean is VOC-free and comes in a resuable hand spray bottle, further reducing VOCs by eliminating aerosol propellants as well as reducing aerosol can waste.

Thanks to the product change, Aggressive was able to save over $400, 1,300 lbs of VOCs, 430 lbs of HAPs and 150 lbs of metal can waste per year in their standard cleaning jobs.

Alternative degreaser saves money, reduces waste

Compressed air-powered refillable sprayers are easy to fill and use , reduce waste and

save money

Regulatory AlertNo more puncturing aerosol cans and gas cylinders

Starting January 1, 2017, hazardous waste aerosols and gas cylinders may no longer be punctured or vented in Minnesota, unless all hazardous waste propellant gases, product gases and liquids are captured and properly disposed. Charcoal and activated carbon filters do not capture hazardous waste propellants or gases for proper disposal.

For more details, see the MPCA website:www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/w-hw4-00.pdf



When is the best time to evaluate your cleaning and degreasing operations? Now! In late 2015 the EPA strengthened ozone standards from 75 parts per

billion to 70 parts per billion. Minnesota’s air is well under the limit in most parts of the state; however in more densely populated areas such as the Twin Cities, ozone levels are nearing the limit.

The MnTAP degreasing team completed four videos that detail the project suc-cesses outlined in this newsletter. Watch them at www.mntap.umn.edu/Webinar/past_projects.html.

More information about VOCs and HAPs can be found on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website: www.pca.state.mn.us/air/ozone.

MnTAP continues to give no-cost assessments in small- to medium-size Minnesota businesses. Give a call today!

Degreasing resources

A 2013 MnTAP intern displays the lean shadow board he developed

L ike most auto repair shops, Lake Elmo Repair was using a brake cleaner with a high VOC content. One of the challenges to finding greener brake cleaners is that many containers that look the same contain

surprisingly different chemicals. In most cases, the only way to differentiate between hazardous and environ-mentally friendly brake cleaners is by looking up the product part number on the Safety Data Sheet, available from the manufacturer.

The MnTAP degreasing team found that O’Reilly Ultra Low VOC brake cleaner was a better alternative to the one Lake Elmo had been using. Shop manager Lance Vandalinde reported that the new product takes a little longer to dry but “doesn’t slow them down or affect work time.”

Penetrants are another product used in auto repair shops that emit VOCs. Taking MnTAP’s advice, Lake Elmo switched to Liquid Wrench, which is VOC-free. Used with heat, Vandelinde says they didn’t see any reduction in performance.

Two other low-VOC cleaning products were already in place at Lake Elmo Repair before the MnTAP degreas-ing project began: Oil Eater for washing the floors and built-in equipment, and a Cuda aqueous parts washer. Vandelinde said the Oil Eater cleans the shop equipment extremely well without damaging the paint, and the Cuda cleans better with soap and water than chemical solvents — without the messy cleanup.

Clearing the cloud of consumer confusion

Consumer confusion: These 3 brake cleaners contain varying levels of HAPs and VOCs, which can only be identified by

their part number.

Environmental Initiative Awards Recognizes “Safer Products That Work” Project MnTAP’s was one of three projects to be nominated in the Energy and Climate category. For details go to: www.environmental-initiative.org/blog/2016/04/21/meet-the-energy-and-climate-finalists



what to buy

What to Look for When Buying Cleaners & Degreasers

General cleaners

Brake cleaners

Penetrants

• Effective products are available with relatively low VOCs and HAPs• Avoid citrus cleaners, as they have high ozone-producing potential

• When looking at brake cleaners, look for non-chlorinated, low VOC, California- or 50 State-Compliant products (non-chlorinated means NO Perc or TCE, which are HAPs)

• Avoid products where SDS lists xylene, methanol, toluene or ethyl-benzene as ingredients

• Consider non-aerosol, water-based cleaners and refillable containers.

• The best practice with penetrants is to use heat whenever possible.Induction heaters can rapidly heat bolts, but these may not be used in highly flammable areas

• Avoid penetrants containing naphtha, naphthalene and xylene.

Parts washers• Companies that have aqueous parts washers consistently

expressed above average satisfaction• Automatic aqueous washers require less labor.

General Cleaners

Product Active Ingredient VOC % Lbs Ozone/Lbs Product

Simple Green MAX Automotive Alcohol / Glycol Either 10 0.02

Zep Tuff Green Concentrate Glycol Ether 7.5 0.14

Dubois Treo General Purpose Cleaner Concentrate Sodium Carbonate 0 0

Oil Eater Glycol Ether 0.42 0.12

Brake Cleaners


O’Reilly Ultra Low VOC 46580 Acetone 7.5 0.377

CRC Brakleen 05050 Acetone 9.2 0.435

Mag1 MG750579 Acetone / Heptane 38 .59

Penetrants


WD-40 Hydrocarbon 49.5 .32

Liquid Wrench (best in impact test) Hydrocarbon 0 0.78

Zep Dual Force Hydrocarbon 0.19 .94

Parts Washers


SafetyKleen Armakleen 4 in 1 Aqeuous detergents 0.45 0.008

Smartwasher / OzzyJuice Degreasing Solutions Microbes <0.1 0

Cuda Super Clean AP-1000 Aqueous detergents 2 0.06

When it comes to cleaning and degreasing products, the goal should be to eliminate hazardous air polluants and Minnesota Chemicals of Concern, as well as minimize emissions of volatile organic compounds and decrease the ozone-producing potential of the product. Here we have listed general cleaners, brake

cleaners and penetrants that have zero HAPs and relatively low VOC content compared to other commonly used products. We also recommend a few parts washers that go a long way toward reducing solvent use in auto repair shops. Tear off this page and refer to it when you’re ready to replace those toxic solvents with greener options!


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Source editor: Monique Dubos.. Contributors: Anna Arkin, Laura Babcock, Matt Domski, Karl DeWahl, Michelle Gage, Mick Jost, Linda Maleitzke, Paul Pagel, Jane Paulson, AJ Van den Berghe and Jon Vanyo. Articles published in Source may be reprinted only with permission from MnTAP. Copyright 2016, MnTAP. This newsletter is sent free to Minnesota businesses and is available online at www.mntap.umn.edu/source. This publication/material is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to Linda Maleitzke 612.624.1300 or [email protected].


The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) strengthens Minnesota businesses by maximizing efficiency and reducing costs through energy, water, and waste reduction. As an outreach program at the University of Minnesota, MnTAP provides technical assistance tailored to individual businesses. By reducing waste and increasing efficiency, companies save on disposal and raw-material costs and make working condi-tions healthier and safer for employees.

MnTAP is funded primarily by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Resource Management and Assistance Division and is located at the University of Minnesota in the School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences. The University’s mission, carried out on multiple campuses and throughout the state, is threefold: research and discovery, teaching and learning, and outreach and public service.The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

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14 intern projects underway this summer

MnTAP is coordinating the highest number of intern projects since the program began in

1984. Fourteen students will analyze processes, investigate alternatives and suggest strategies to conserve water and energy, reduce waste and improve process efficiencies in companies across Minnesota.

Funding partners include Metropolitan Council of Environmental Services (water conservation), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (pollution prevention), Minnesota Department of Com-merce, the Twin Cities Chapter of the Chemical Coaters Association International, Minnesota Power, Dakota Electric, CenterPoint Energy, and Xcel Energy.

This summer’s host companies are:• Anoka Hennepin ISD 11• CEE• Cemstone• City of Woodbury• Ecolibrium3• G&K Services• Hennepin County Medical Center• IBM• Lorentz Meats• Nordic Ware• R & D Systems• Southern Minnesota Municipal

Power Agency• TEL-FSI• Xcel Energy.

Register Now!

2016 MnTAP Intern Symposium Interns will present project findings and solutions Tuesday, August 23, 1 - 5pmMcNamara Alumni Center, UMTC

www.z.umn.edu/2016InternSymposium

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