ALTERNATIVE AUTOMOTIVE AEROSOL PRODUCTS

1. ALTERNATIVE AUTOMOTIVE AEROSOL PRODUCTS Katy Wolf Ph.D. Institute for Research and Technical Assistance

2. HISTORY 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

3. HISTORY 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

4. HISTORY CONT’D • 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

5. HISTORY 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

6. HISTORY 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

7. HISTORY 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

8. IRTA / HESIS AND IRTA / CARB PROJECTS • 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

9. PRELIMINARY 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

10. SCREENING 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

11. PROJECT PARTICIPANTS • FIFTEEN AUTO REPAIR FACILITIES • DEALERSHIPS • BRAKE REPAIR SHOPS • SERVICE STATIONS • GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR • CITY YARD • CAR WASHES • DETAILER

12. ENGINE 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

13. CARBURETOR AND FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM 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

14. CARBURETOR 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

15. BRAKE CLEANING / GENERAL PURPOSE 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

16. FUTURE 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

17. FUTURE 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