Abracadabra! Making VOCs Disappear
Closed Process Makes Applying Solvent-Based Coatings Eco-Friendly
CLEVELAND, OHIO – May 18, 2012 – One little-known benefit of the coil coating process is its ability to apply coatings to metal with virtually no harmful impact on the environment, by making the VOCs all but disappear. With coil coating, solvent-based paints and coatings can be applied with miniscule VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions. Coil coating is a highly efficient ‘closed loop’ process, meaning that harmful solvents and gas are consumed in the combustion process and by-products are incinerated or oxidized prior to release into the environment. In effect, the coil coating curing ovens burn the harmful VOCs, using them as fuel, saving energy and eliminating pollutants. Coil coating achieves at least a 98% rate for capture and destruction efficiency, eliminating toxic pollutants that would otherwise be released into the air.
While water-based coatings and powder applications are also used; their popularity for coating lines is limited. But, manufacturers can rest assured that their solvent-based finishes can be applied in a way that Mother Nature would admire. The coil coating industry is subject to the highest EPA standards and meets and exceeds these standards even as they become more stringent each year. Coil coating is by far the most environmentally-friendly process for applying organic compounds to metal. The end products are also green: coil coated metal is fully recyclable, and coil coated products are often made of recycled content.
For more information about the seemingly magical environmental benefits of prepainted metal, visit the National Coil Coating Association at www.coilcoatinginstitute.org and view the online tutorial titled, Energy and Environmental Benefits of Prepaint.
