ALTERNATIVE AUTOMOTIVE ALTERNATIVE AUTOMOTIVE AEROSOL PRODUCTSAEROSOL PRODUCTS

Katy Wolf Ph.D.

Institute for Research and

Technical Assistance

HISTORY OF ISSUEHISTORY OF ISSUE

• IRTA WORKED ON EPA PROJECT TO DEVELOP WATER-

BASED CLEANERS FOR PARTS CLEANING IN AUTO

REPAIR FACILITIES

• SCAQMD PASSED REGULATION REQUIRING REPAIR AND

MAINTENANCE CLEANERS TO HAVE VOC CONTENT OF 50

GRAMS PER LITER OR LESS

– 40,000 PARTS CLEANERS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

– OTHER AREAS PASSING SIMILAR REGULATION

– SCAQMD LATER LOWERED VOC CONTENT LIMIT TO 25

GRAMS PER LITER

HISTORY CONT’DHISTORY CONT’D

• ISSUE AROSE DURING PARTS CLEANING PROJECT

– IRTA WORKED WITH POTWS TO ANALYZE SPENT WATER-

BASED CLEANING BATHS

– FOUND PERC AND OTHER NON-CHLORINATED SOLVENTS IN

SOME BATHS

– ORIGIN OF PERC WAS AEROSOL BRAKE CLEANERS

– IRTA AND PPC DECIDED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO FOCUS ON

DEVELOPING BRAKE CLEANING ALTERNATIVES

• PERC EXEMPTED FROM VOC REGULATIONS BY EPA

• CARB BEGAN RULEMAKING TO EXEMPT PERC

– EXEMPTION FOR PERC WOULD LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN

USE OF PERC IN AEROSOL AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTS

– POTWS REQUESTED THAT CARB COLLECT DATA ON

INCREASED PERC USE

– IRTA ASKED CARB TO EXAMINE TOXIC RISK TO DETERMINE

IF ATCM WAS JUSTIFIED

HISTORY CONT’DHISTORY CONT’D

HISTORY CONT’DHISTORY CONT’D

• IRTA STARTED EPA PROJECT TO DEVELOP WATER-

BASED BRAKE CLEANERS

• CARB DECIDED TO GO FORWARD WITH ATCM

– BANNED ALL CHLORINATED (PERC, TCE, METH)

AUTOMOTIVE AEROSOL PRODUCTS

– BAN IS IN EFFECT NOW

• IRTA COMPLETED PROJECT ON WATER-BASED BRAKE

CLEANERS

– FOUND COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES THAT COULD BE

USED IN BRAKE CLEANING EQUIPMENT

HISTORY CONT’DHISTORY CONT’D

• DURING DEVELOPMENT OF ATCM, IRTA LEARNED THAT

CARB CANNOT BAN A WHOLE PRODUCT TYPE

• IRTA DEMONSTRATED THAT ALTERNATIVE WATER-BASED

BRAKE CLEANERS WERE ON MARKET

– DID NOT MATTER

– CARB NEED WATER BASED AEROSOL PRODUCTS ON

MARKET TO GO FORWARD WITH REGULATION ON VOC

AEROSOL BRAKE CLEANERS

• AEROSOL PACKAGERS BEGAN SUBSTITUTING VOC

SOLVENTS FOR PERC WHEN CARB BAN ON

CHLORINATED SOLVENTS WAS ENACTED

HISTORY CONT’DHISTORY CONT’D• HESIS CONCERNED ABOUT INCREASE IN USE OF HEXANE

• IRTA CONCERNED ABOUT INCREASE IN USE OF OTHER

VOC SOLVENTS

• IRTA PARTNERED WITH HESIS ON EPA PROJECT TO

DEVELOP WATER-BASED AEROSOL AUTOMOTIVE

PRODUCTS

• IRTA HAD SUBMITTED IDEA FOR PROJECT TO CARB

RESEARCH DIVISION

– CARB ISSUED RFP

– IRTA RESPONDED AND WON PROJECT

• IRTA CONDUCTING TWO PROJECTS TO DEVELOP WATER-

BASED AEROSOL AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTS

IRTA / HESIS AND IRTA / CARB IRTA / HESIS AND IRTA / CARB PROJECTSPROJECTS

• FOCUS ON FOUR CATEGORIES OF CLEANING

– BRAKE CLEANING

– ENGINE DEGREASING

– GENERAL PURPOSE DEGREASING

– CARBURETOR AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM CLEANING

• HAVE TO FIND ALTERNATIVES FOR ALL FOUR

CATEGORIES

• IF CARB REGULATES, AEROSOL SOLVENT PEOPLE

CANNOT SIMPLY RE-LABEL PRODUCTS

PRELIMINARY SCREENING TESTSPRELIMINARY SCREENING TESTS

• WENT TO WATER CLEANING COMPANIES WHO MADE

CLEANERS FOR AUTO REPAIR AND INDUSTRIAL

CLEANING APPLICATIONS

• COLLECTED DIRTY AUTO PARTS FROM AUTO REPAIR

FACILITIES

• USED CLEANERS IN SPRAY BOTTLES

• AEROSOL SOLVENT PACKERS PACKED CLEANERS IN

AEROSOL CANS

• USED CLEANERS IN AEROSOL CANS

SCREENING TESTS CON’TSCREENING TESTS CON’T• TWO BIG ISSUES

• NEARLY ALL CLEANERS FOAMED

– APPROPRIATE FOR ENGINE DEGREASING

– NOT APPROPRIATE FOR OTHER APPLICATIONS

• CLEANERS THAT DIDN’T FOAM HAD VERY LOW DELIVERY

RATE

• ASKED WATER CLEANING COMPANIES TO REFORMULATE

CLEANERS FOR FIELD TESTING

• TEST FOAMING CLEANERS IN ENGINE DEGREASING AND

NON-FOAMING CLEANERS IN BRAKE CLEANING AND

GENERAL PURPOSE DEGREASING

PROJECT PARTICIPANTSPROJECT PARTICIPANTS

• FIFTEEN AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES

– DEALERSHIPS

– BRAKE REPAIR SHOPS

– SERVICE STATIONS

– GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR

– CITY YARD

– CAR WASHES

– DETAILER

ENGINE DEGREASINGENGINE DEGREASING• VIRTUALLY NO AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES USE AEROSOL

PRODUCTS– ONLY CONSUMERS

• MOST AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES DON’T DO ENGINE DEGREASING– SOME DEALERSHIPS

– CAR WASHES

– DETAILERS AND MOBILE DETAILERS

• VIRTUALLY ALL USE HIGH PRESSURE WATER AND BULK WATER CLEANERS

• INCLUDING CAR WASH, DETAILER AND ANN HEIL’S HUSBAND IN PROJECT– WILL TEST FOAMING CLEANERS

CARBURETOR AND FUEL INJECTION CARBURETOR AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM CLEANINGSYSTEM CLEANING

• AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES USE PACKAGED SYSTEM– FUEL ADDITIVE

– FLUSHING CLEANER

– INJECTION VALVE CLEANER

• FUEL ADDITIVE AND FLUSHING CLEANER NOT EMITTED AND DON’T EXPOSE WORKERS

• FUEL ADDITIVE REGULATIONS GOVERN WHAT CAN GO THROUGH SYSTEM

• DECIDED NOT TO TEST WATER CLEANERS

• FOCUSING ON INJECTION VALVE CLEANERS– EXAMINED CARBURETOR AND CHOKE CLEANERS ON

SHELVES

CARBURETOR CLEANING CONT’DCARBURETOR CLEANING CONT’D

• DECIDED TO USE ACETONE AND SOY PRODUCTS

– BOTH LOW IN TOXICITY AND VOC CONTENT

• PACKAGED FIVE DIFFERENT PRODUCTS

– ACETONE

– BLENDS OF ACETONE AND SOY

• WILL FIELD TEST PRODUCTS AND DECIDE WHICH SHOULD

BE PACKAGED IN LARGER QUANTITIES

• WILL FIELD TEST WITH AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES

BRAKE CLEANING / GENERAL BRAKE CLEANING / GENERAL PURPOSE DEGREASINGPURPOSE DEGREASING

• WATER-BASED CLEANERS WITH EQUIPMENT ALREADY

USED IN BRAKE CLEANING AND PARTS CLEANERS USED IN

GENERAL PURPOSE DEGREASING

• PACKAGING NON-FOAMING CLEANERS

• WILL TEST AT LEAST SEVEN CLEANERS IN FIELD

• COMPANIES BUY ONE TYPE OF AEROSOL DEGREASER AND

USE IT FOR ALL CLEANING TASKS

• IRTA WILL PROVIDE EACH AUTO REPAIR FACILITY WITH A

WEEK’S WORTH OF CLEANER AND ASK THEM TO USE IT

EXCLUSIVELY

FUTURE WORKFUTURE WORK

• IRTA GOING AHEAD WITH FIELD TESTING

• ASSISTED WATER CLEANING FORMULATORS IN FINDING

OTHER PACKERS

• WILL HAVE CLEANERS FOR BRAKE CLEANING AND

GENERAL PURPOSE DEGREASING IN NOVEMBER

• WILL START TESTING ENGINE DEGREASERS AND

CARBURETOR AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM CLEANERS

THIS MONTH

FUTURE STRATEGYFUTURE STRATEGY

• PLANNING FOLLOW-UP PROJECT WITH NEW AEROSOL

WATER-BASED CLEANERS

– WILL WORK WITH AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES TO CONVERT

THEM TO WATER-BASED AEROSOLS

– LOWER VOC PRODUCTS WILL BE IN USE

• SCAQMD MAY BE ABLE TO REGULATE

– DOESN’T HAVE CARB AEROSOL LIMITATION

– CAN REGULATE USE IN FACILITIES