Summary of Results
Annual Reductions in Toxics Use and Emissions:
- 120 fewer gallons of new lacquer thinner, acetone, and VM&P Naptha purchased (about a 25% reduction)
- 1,200 fewer gallons of denatured alcohol purchased (about a 50% reduction)
- 12 tons fewer VOCs used in coatings
Total Annual Cost Savings: $16,435
- $3,235 savings by avoiding Large Quantity Generator status for hazardous waste
- $1,200 savings due to reductions in purchases of new lacquer thinner, acetone, and VM&P Naptha
- $12,000 savings due to reductions in purchases of denatured alcohol
Other Results:
- 73 percent reduction in solid and universal waste generation despite significant growth in facility manufacturing space, hiring, and production
- Decreased worker exposures to toxic solvents
Solvent Recycling
The finishing department began using a solvent recycling unit in 2010 to reduce the quantity of new solvent purchases. Jim Richey, finishing department manager and brother of owner, Mark Richey, has developed an organizational system to separate the types of spent solvent that feed into the recycling unit. The recovered solvent is then used for cleaning spray lines after solvent based coatings are sprayed. Jim estimates that the recycling unit has resulted in a reduction of 120 gallons per year of lacquer thinner, acetone, and VM&P Naptha purchased and a comparable reduction in the generation and disposal of hazardous waste. Overall, the company has experienced savings of 25% (or $1,200 annually) in the quantity of solvent purchased for line cleaning.
The recycling unit also recovers denatured alcohol. As a result, MRW has saved approximately 50% on purchases of denatured alcohol annually (about 1,200 fewer gallons), resulting in cost savings of about $12,000 per year. Another significant benefit of installing the solvent recycling unit is that MRW is able to maintain a small quantity generator status, avoiding the need to register with MassDEP as a LQG of hazardous waste. Before installing the recycling unit, solvent was shipped off as hazardous waste. LQGs are subject to increased compliance requirements including training, contingency and emergency planning, air emissions controls, waste minimization planning, reporting, and annual compliance fees of $3,880 instead of $645. The cost of the solvent recycling unit was $2,500 and Jim estimates that the pay-back period for the solvent recycling unit has been two years.
Spray Gun Cleaning
Prior to installing an ultrasonic gun cleaner in 2013, the finishing department used solvents to clean the spray guns. That method was labor intensive and resulted in worker exposures to acetone and various lacquer thinning chemicals. Now, with the enclosed ultrasonic cleaner, workers place the spray gun parts in the cleaner with a solution of Simple Green and water. The cleaning process requires no additional labor or worker exposures and takes about 30 minutes to complete. According to Jim, usually one cycle is all that’s necessary. The ultrasonic cleaner works for both water based and solvent based coatings as no coatings used at MRW contain nitrous cellulose.
Robotic Spray Line
In 2012, MRW installed an enclosed robotic spray line by Superfici for large flat panels. The machine sprays a consistent coat and can be programmed to spray only the area required. There is usually some overspray, so the operators use paper to line the conveyor belt, therefore, solvent is not required to clean the belt. “The robot,” as the machine is fondly called, has increased the through-put capacity by at least 100% when in full use while improving the quality and consistency of the coating and reducing the amount of wasted paint. The company has hired additional workers to operate the machine and manage the work load that has resulted from incorporating this state of the art technology into the company’s repertoire. The cost for the equipment was $1.2 million and, because of the increased efficiency and capacity, the pay-back period for the robot was five years.
Water-Based Coatings
In 2016 the company began implementing a new process to prioritize the use of water based coatings on new jobs. When seeking approval from a new client for a coating formulation and appearance, the company’s finishing department now prioritizes sending a sample using water based coating. If the sample is approved, the order is filled using water based paint. Lower sheens and lighter colors usually produce greater success for client approval and product quality with water based coatings. This practice of prioritizing water based coatings has resulted in an estimated reduction of 12 tons of VOCs per year. Some jobs require solvent based coatings including those with opaque finishes or dark, higher gloss stains. However, in 2017 and into the foreseeable future, MRW is filling product orders with approximately 75% water based coatings despite significant increases in production.
Additional Initiatives
MRW’s leadership is interested in investing in efficient technologies and creating programs to reduce the facility’s waste from all departments. MRW’s spray booths are lined with peelable booth coating. This practice saves time and makes the spray booth cleaning process more efficient.
The company also has an aggressive program to divert its waste stream from the landfill. In addition to recycling or reusing 85% of its wood waste, MRW has significantly reduced the quantity of outgoing trash by recycling or selecting recovery programs for all plastics, all metals, paper and cardboard, ion and lithium batteries, light bulbs, and electronics. The company used to produce 30 yards of trash per week with 25% of the facility space and 33% of the personnel that now produce about eight yards of trash per week.
Published 2017