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