EPS industry facing increased EPA air quality scrutiny

21 April 2005 15:57  [Source: ICIS news]

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNI)--The US expandable polystyrene (EPS) industry should develop a proactive strategy to deal with new air quality requirements, an official with an environmental engineering and consulting firm said Thursday.

 

Speaking here at EPS EXPO 2005, Chad Darby of SECOR International noted EPS beads contain pentane, which is necessary for the expansion of the material during the moulding process. A minimum of pentane is retained in the foam, but most of it is emitted to the air during the process. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is targeting those emissions. In addition, regulators are also targeting post-moulding (fugitive) emissions as an additional point source of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s).

 

Proposed actions to curb such emissions would be taken 4-6 weeks past production.

 

Darby proposed to EPS members the following actions: Prioritising emission factor needs for the industry; identifying and evaluating existing emission factor data; developing or supporting common emission testing methodologies; and developing emission factors as a collective industry group.

 

Darby said regulators were targeting individual facilities. He said he found that those with the least emission data were the most vulnerable. Air toxics regulations are tightening and many facilities are out of compliance, he said. The problem is magnified by different standards and emission testing methods from state to state, he said.

 

The EPS industry will face increased costs for keeping and maintaining emission data records, identification of toxics and the purchase and installation of equipment to contain and/or reduce emissions to permissible levels. Darby outlined a strategy aimed at reducing this burden for industry members while seeking for financial support and cooperation to develop an emission factor database to be shared industrywide.

By: George Martin
+1 713 525 2653

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