Purdue engineers recently had some good news for the consortium, which is made up of about 30 companies. The engineers found that factories may be able to reduce their emissions by using a training program that instructs workers on the best techniques for applying styrene-based materials.
The training program was conceived by a national organization called the Composites Fabricators Association, but its pollution-reduction benefits had not been documented until the Purdue engineers conducted tests using specialized equipment built at the institute. The preliminary results were reported at a consortium meeting in June.
Workers who use spray guns to coat molds with a liquid that contains styrene are taught techniques to cut down on styrene emissions. For example, they are schooled in different ways of setting up their work to minimize the amount of spraying needed for the job. They also learn new approaches to spraying in which the individual droplets of styrene are larger, ultimately reducing the overall quantity exposed to the air, and, consequently, decreasing emissions, says Jean Hall, a Purdue engineer involved in the work.
The Purdue institute has been gathering data and conducting tests since March to analyze just how effective the training program is. The preliminary data showed that using the program reduced styrene emissions by 21.7 percent. The training also reduced the overall quantity of styrene needed to do the job by 19 percent, Noonan says.
The combined effect of both reductions is a 42.4 percent decrease in emissions, he says.
Purdue engineers will conduct further tests at the institute's Coating
Applications Research Laboratory before issuing a final report, Noonan says.
Ongoing changes in the lab will enable institute engineers to study and test new
technologies and processes that aim to reduce air polluti
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Contact: Emil Venere
emil_venere@uns.purdue.edu
765-494-4709
Purdue University
29-Jul-1999