Public Meeting to Discuss the Feasibility of Meeting the 25 Percent VOC Standard for Aerosol Adhesives November 8, 1999 California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board

Presentation Overview Background 1998 Survey –Development –Product Categories –Data Summaries Research and Development Efforts Summary

Background Phase 2 rulemaking (1992) AB Amendments

Phase 2 Rulemaking 75% VOC % VOC Established standards for aerosol adhesives:

AB 1849 ARB’s 75% standard shall apply to all applications, including industrial uses. Prior to Jan 2000, the ARB has sole authority to set VOC standards. After Dec 31, 1999 a district may adopt and enforce a standard that is more stringent than the ARB standard. The ARB shall prepare a study and conduct a public hearing prior to July 2, 2000 on the need for setting a more stringent standard.

1996 Amendments to Consumer Products Regulations Extended deadline to meet 25% VOC to 1/1/2002 Required manufacturers to report 1998 sales and composition data and R&D efforts. Required public hearing by June 1, 2000 to review and consider any appropriate modifications Incorporates AB 1849 provisions

1998 Survey Sent out survey on March 3, 1999 requesting 1998 sales, product composition and R&D efforts Received responses from 45 companies 134 products in survey Survey includes industrial products

Details of the 1998 Survey Sources of Information Aerosol Adhesive Definition Modification Product Categorization Survey Summaries Methylene Chloride Usage

Sources of Information Companies that reported adhesive sales to the 1997 and 1995 surveys Shelf surveys -- visited craft, fabric, automotive, and hardware stores Searched the Internet

Modified Definition for Aerosol Adhesive Current definition does not define “hand- held” For purposes of the survey we used 32 fluid ounces or less

Product Categories Mounting High Performance Repositionable General Purpose

Mounting Products intended primarily for use in mounting photographs, artwork, and any other drawn or printed media to a backing (paper, board, cloth)

High Performance Products that meet specialized performance requirements for demanding uses, such as, high contact bond strength, high temperature resistance, and plasticizer resistance

Repositionable Products that are designed to allow two substrates to be temporarily bonded, separated, and then bonded again without having to apply additional adhesive

General Purpose Products that are designed for general purpose, light duty application on a variety of substrates. An example would be a general duty arts and crafts adhesives.

Aerosol Adhesives 1998 Sales and Emissions by Category Adhesive Category CA Sales (tons/yr) VOC (tons/yr) * General Purpose and High Performance comprise about 50% and 40% of the sales and VOC emissions, respectively.

VOC Levels per Category All Products * Parentheses indicate complying products

VOC Levels per Category Products without MeCl or Perc * Parentheses indicate complying products

Methylene Chloride Use in Aerosol adhesives Adhesive Categories MeCl (tons/yr) MeCl VOC Percent

Research and Development Efforts

Potential Technologies Water-based technology Formulating with exempt solvents Using non-VOC propellants Increasing solids content Hardware Modifications Combination of the above

Water-based Technology Advantages –no safety (flammability) concern –low VOC Disadvantages –resin incompatibility –freeze-thaw instability –slow drying time –insufficient adhesion on non-porous substrates –high manufacturing cost

Formulating with Exempt Solvents Acetone Methyl Acetate Methylene Chloride Perchloroethylene Parachlorobenzotrifluoride Volatile Methyl Siloxanes

Formulating with Non-VOC Propellants HFC-152a Carbon Dioxide

Increasing Solids Content Advantages: –lower VOC Disadvantages: –solubility –dispensing problem –cost

Hardware Modifications More controlled spray pattern Accommodate formulations with higher solids

Summary Adhesives formulated with water and MeCl can meet the 25% standard However, water base has a limited market niche and MeCl has toxicity concerns Many current products are 10-20% below the current 75% VOC standard Technology using a combination of exempt compounds, high solids, and hardware modifications show promise