Product Stewardship in action: modern hydrocarbon and oxygenated solvents

Nigel J. Sarginson

Chair, American Solvents Council

Chemcon, Singapore

October 29th, 2003

2

Presentation

• American Solvents Council • Benefits of solvents• Health and environmental issues• Product Stewardship initiatives• The future

American Solvents Council - part of the American Chemistry Council

AmericanSolvents Council

AmericanSolvents Council

Task GroupsTask Groups

Acetone Panel

Ethylene and Propylene Glycol EthersPanel

Ethylene Glycol Panel

Hydrocarbon SolventsPanel

Isopropanol Panel

Ketones Panel

Oxo Process Panel

Toluene/Xylene Panel

Education/Communication

Education/Communication

AtmosphericReactivity

AtmosphericReactivity

International AssociationsCEFIC (ESIG), JCIA

End-User Associations(NPCA, NACD,CSPA, etc.)

Applied Exposure

Assessment

Applied Exposure

Assessment

AMERICAN SOLVENTS COUNCILRole:• To promote the safe and environmentally responsible use of hydrocarbon and

oxygenated solvents• To address environmental, health, and safety issues involving hydrocarbon and

oxygenated solvents, • Work closely with regulators, customers, distributors, and end users.• Council Members:

– Dow Chemical Company– ExxonMobil Chemical Company – Shell Chemicals LP– Eastman Chemical Company– Lyondell Chemical Company– CITGO Petroleum Corporation– Sasol North America LLC

Modern hydrocarbon and oxygenated solvents - bringing benefits to many applications

Volatile organic compounds (VOC)

TroposphereOzone

Stratosphere Ozone mixingSunLight

50 km

10-16 km

0 km

SUNLIGHT

UV: 200-330 nm

UV: > 330 nm:penetration toEarth’s surface

Sea level

NO2 + O2 NO + O3 +other

photochemical reactants

VOC + O2

VOC and Ozone air quality - US regulations and industry response

• Clean Air Act– Priority pollutants - NO2, SO2, Ozone, PM, CO, Pb

• Ozone reduction– VOC exemptions based on negligible reactivity– VOC/NOx emission control for industrial operations– Fuel and engine changes for transportation– Concentration limits for open applications - paints and coatings, consumer

products– Low Vapour Pressure exemptions for consumer products– Revised VOC policy with greater role for reactivity under consideration

• Reactivity– US research has shown can be effective in reducing ozone in urban

environments– Development of low reactivity products by industry

ethene 7.4o-xylene 6.5methanol 0.56ethane 0.25methane 0.015

Here are some examples ranked by MIR value:

Reactivity can be expressed as Maximum Incremental Reactivity …the amount of grams of ozone formed per gram of VOC.....one hourpeak ozone concentration formed during a day

Europe - Legislation

UK

D

F

It

Nl

IPPC

SolventEmissionsDirective

Auto Oil1 & 2

Air QualityFramework Large

CombustionPlants

Solvent Emissions Directive - key aspects

• Adopted on March 11, 1999 - 2 year transposition into Member State Law

• Affects industrial users

• Allows flexibility in emission reduction

• 67% emission reduction by 2007 (versus 1990)

• A significant but manageable challenge for the solvents industry

Proposed Decorative Coatings Legislation

• Draft legislation currently passing through European Parliament and Council

• Concentration limits for solvent based and waterbased paints by key paint categories

• Limits to be introduced in 2007 and 2010• Benefits to improved ozone air quality questionable - proposed that

Commission report on benefits• Allows continued use of solvent based coatings for exterior and trim

applications• Clean Air For Europe - review of existing legislation• Very ambitious ozone air quality standard of 60 ppb for 8 hours• European Solvent Industry Group working with regulators and

customers

Health effects - proactive replacement of harmful products

Harmful Product Replacement product Application

n-hexane Low n-hexane products Adhesives

Neurotoxic Isohexane

Aromatic White Spirit Dearomatized and Paints and

Irritant vapours isoparaffinic products Coatings

Toxic to fish

Toluene Dearomatized solvents Adhesives

Irritant/neurotoxic

MnBK MEK/MIBK Paints and

Neurotoxic Coatings

commitment to Product Stewardshipwww.americansolventscouncil.org

www.esig.org

Product Stewardship Initiatives - ASC and ESIG• Safe handling and regulatory information

– Cutting through the maze (of US regulations)

– Best Practice Guides - Managing Solvent Exposure/Flammability

– Occupational Exposure Limits

– Air Change Index

– Exposure modelling

– Solvents Do’s and Don’ts

– Voluntary restrictions on sales of four glycol ethers (from large family of safe products

• Life Cycle Assessment Studies– Humber Bridge

– Car Coatings

• Ozone Air Quality Studies

• VOC Abatement Advisor for emission reduction

• Opinion Former Surveys - Regulators, Customers, Trade Associations

RISKS AND BENEFITS OF SOLVENTS

Thinking about the risks and the benefits you associate with solvents, do you think that the the risks of using solvents outweigh the benefits, or that the benefits of solvents outweigh the risks?

Trade Association

Regulator

Distributor

Customer

Total

0 20 40 60 80 100

73 14 13

76 14 10

83 13 4

35 26 39

89 6 5

Benefits Outweigh Risks Risks Outweigh Benefits Don't Know

•Since 1889 - completely repainted 17 times

•Each repainting - 50 tonnes of paint

•25 strong team - 12 months

•Six million tourists - non-drip paint

•Solvent based paints - quick drying, non-drip, compatible and optimumprotection

Solvents - protecting the world’s heritage

Hydrocarbon and oxygenated solvents- Solutions for the futureSolutions for the future- Solvents Make it Happen!- Solvents Make it Happen!

•Versatile performance benefits in a range of applications

•Modern solvents products - safe and environmentally acceptable

•Industry committed to Responsible Care and Product Stewardship

Hydrocarbon and OxygenatedSolvents