Networking P2 Programs in
EPA Region 8
Home |
|
|
Contacts |
|
|
P2 Info Links |
|
|
Library |
|
|
News / Funding |
|
|
Site Index |
Contact Us
Last updated:
May 03, 2001
Auto Body News
(Return to Auto Body Tech Source Home)
Engine and Vehicle Development
with Production Intent Grant (EPA) (10/31/01)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a need for a contract to
provide the Office of Air and Radiation; Office of Transportation and
Air Quality; National Vehicle Fuels Emission Laboratory; Advanced Technology
Support Division, with flexible engineering support related to vehicles
and engines, with efforts focused on reducing emissions and improving
efficiency (to lower carbon dioxide emissions) that can easily be transformed
into full production. For more info see: http://content.sciencewise.com/content/index.cfm?objectid=8836
or http://www.epa.gov/oam/cinn_cmd,
or contact: Reinhart.Donna@epa.gov.
The Clean Car Campaign
With the support of 26 environmental organizations, the Clean Car
Campaign calls on Ford and other automakers to remove toxic mercury from
vehicles that come in for service, repair, or recall. For more information
see: http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/mercury.html.
Environmental Technology
Verification Report (10/3/01)
EPA's environmental technology
verification (ETV) program has completed a report on the laser touch targeting
device for manual paint spray systems. The May 2000 report was prepared
by the National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence, operated
by Concurrent Technologies Corp., and is on-line at http://www.epa.gov/etv/04/lasertouch_vr.pdf.
Auto Aluminum Sorting by Laser, (11/6/00)
The Environmental News Service reports: Almost 90 percent of
automotive aluminum today is recovered and recycled. While this aluminum
represents less than 10 percent of the average motor vehicle by weight, it
already accounts for about half of the vehicle's value as scrap.
"Current separating techniques only allow us to separate aluminum
from other materials in scrapped vehicles," said Jim Quinn, staff
engineer, General Motors Corporation and chair of the U.S. Council for
Automotive Research (USCAR). "The recovered aluminum is then recycled
into castings. But the new techniques will enable us to separate cast
aluminum from wrought and even differentiate between wrought alloys."
For more information see: www.uscar.org/techno/autoalum.htm
or ens-news.com/ens/oct2000/2000L-10-26-09.html.
EPA Unveils the First Virtual Auto Body Shop, (10/9/00)
The EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) Program, Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics has launched a first-of-a-kind auto body
shop/information center on the web: http://www.epa.gov/dfe/autobody/autobody.html.
The site advances the goal of DfE's Auto
Refinish project to bring safer, cleaner, and more efficient practices and
technologies to the auto refinishing shop that will
keep painters and shop workers healthier, reduce pollution and emissions
to the community and increase spray painting efficiencies that will save
money.
back to news page
Automotive Repair and Salvage Resources from DNREC, (9/25/00)
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC)
has several resources targeted at the automotive repair and salvage
industry which address pollution prevention, hazardous waste material
handling, recycling, and disposal including the book 'Pollution Reduction
Management Practices and Regulatory Guidance for Vehicle and Other Salvage
Facilities' and a web site summarizing best management practices by
material category in a "Do and Don'ts" format. For information,
contact Kevin Yingling at 302/739-3689 or Kyingling@state.de.us
or see: http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/DNREC2000/Divisions/AWM/hw/frsetauto.htm.
DaimlerChrysler Works To Increase Recovery, Reuse of Plastics from
Automobiles, (9/25/00)
The company is currently testing plastics recycling technology that could
help make the company's vehicles 95 percent recoverable within the next
few years, significantly reducing the impact of end-of-life vehicles on
the environment. For more information contact Max Gates at 248/512-2688,
or Carol Honeycutt at 248/512-2678, or see: http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
Initial STAR Training Held In Montana, (7/27/00)
The initial STAR (Spray Technique Analysis and Research) training event in
Montana was held at the MSU-Northern Automotive
Technology facility in Havre. STAR, which was developed at the Iowa Waste
Reduction Center (IWRC), is designed to help spray painters improve their
transfer efficiency, which is the ratio of how much paint is sprayed
compared to how much paint is actually sticking to the part. A
high-quality painter with many years of experience at a trailer
manufacturing firm and in teaching students at MSU-Northern, Kevin Mielke
transferred 35.6% of the paint sprayed onto the targeted parts in his
pre-training exercise vs. 54.5% efficiency post-training. He also
achieved a more consistent coating thickness and required two rather than
three applications. The increased transfer efficiency resulted in a 35.5% reduction in materials used, and
a 43.8% reduction in
potentially dangerous VOCs released. In a typical, small auto body repair
shop (eight hoods and fenders painted per week for 50 weeks per year),
this could result in an annual savings of $3,262.00 each year in
materials. The Montana STAR program is a partnership of the Montana
Department of Environmental Quality Pollution Prevention (P2) Bureau and
the MSU Extension Service P2 Program. For further information on the STAR
program, contact Jon Hudson at 888/678-6872 or jhudson@montana.edu.
Two Montana Auto Body Shops Receive EcoStar Recognition,
(6/30/00)
The Auto Body Center, Inc., of Bozeman, and Al's Body Shop,
of Billings, are among the 22 small Montana businesses to receive EcoStar
recognition, from the MSU Extension Service. They were chosen for their
efforts to reduce waste and conserve resources, and to educate employees and
customers in these areas. The Auto Body Center reduces solvent
waste by distilling used solvent and waste paint to recover the re-usable
solvent. The recovered solvent is also used in their spray gun washer.
These steps have resulted in over 200 gallons of solvent saved annually.
Single-use plastic and paper overspray covers have been replaced by
reusable cloth covers, a less harmful citrus-based cleaner has replaced
harsh chemical cleaners, and packaging waste has been reduced through bulk
purchasing. Al's
Body Shop took additional steps to continue reducing pollution this year.
Using an automated spray gun washer has reduced solvent use an estimated
20 gallons per year. Efficient light use, reduced thermostat setting, and
use of sawdust for minor spill cleanup, as well as recycling of steel,
aluminum, cardboard and used oil, are all part of the shop's pollution prevention plan.
The goal of the EcoStar program is to provide businesses with incentives
to reduce waste and help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. For
more information contact Jon Hudson toll-free at 888/MSU-6872 or jhudson@montana.edu.