No one-size-fits-all when it comes to VOC reduction

Corinna Maier: The limits apply to all industries that apply paints and coatings. Pollutants occur wherever paint is applied and solvents are used in a process. To reduce the air pollution this causes, one of the things the EU is focusing on is volatile organic compounds.

Corinna Maier: Last December, the Official Journal of the European Union published bandwidths within which the legislation in the individual member states must fall. For passenger cars, for example, the bandwidth for existing plants is between 8 and 30 g/m2. At the moment, some of these have emission values of up to 65 g/m2. The level of response required of plant operators will vary depending on whether a country chooses to orient more to the upper or lower limit. For new plants with state-of-the-art technology, more stringent VOC limits are not a problem. The situation is entirely different in existing plants, of which an estimated 60 percent worldwide are more than 20 years old. In Europe, the average age is around 22 years.

Corinna Maier: The new limits were published in the Official Journal of the European Union in December 2020. This started the clock on a four-year transition period. However, the length of time it takes to implement this into national law will eat into the time available to make plants compliant. In order to prepare our customers for the changes in good time, together we identify the best solution to reduce VOC emissions in their factory. The customer can then have their individual action plan up their sleeve until they need it, so they can hit the ground running.

Uwe Matthies: In the first step we discuss the new statutory requirements and together calculate the existing plant’s current emissions. An expert team from Dürr presents our products and solutions for VOC reduction. Then we discuss possible solutions and work out a tailored concept for the customer. To find the best solution, including from an economic point of view, we apply our expertise in application, plant, and exhaust air purification technology as well as our experience from more than 100 installed passenger car paint shops in Europe alone. As a result of this we are familiar with the best available technology and know exactly what can be achieved with it.
In addition, we also have the facility to offer and conduct a multi-day assessment of the paint shop. Here we examine the processes carried out, the products involved, and where in the booth or in the ovens air pollutants are emitted. For an overall calculation of all solvent emissions, we supplement the values actually measured by the customer with a large number of plant-related indicators, like rinsing operations or volume flows. Added to this is information from the customer like the first run rate as well as a variety of further assumptions, for example about paint details. We use this data to illustrate specific technology-based options for scenarios involving different limits. For each individual measure we evaluate how many grams of VOC it will save the customer, what this investment will cost, and the return-on-investment they will achieve with the saving on materials. Then we prioritize all solutions into an implementation plan and, in a final step, add shutdown planning. This outlines the possible time windows in which conversions are actually possible, without affecting ongoing production. The customer therefore benefits from an individual VOC roadmap.