Emissions (VOC) Treatment

A very real alternative with the use of solvent-based material is to remove any VOC's (volatile organic compounds) from the exhaust. Systems to achieve this can be quite efficient and effective. There is a range of approaches available, from incineration with simple afterburner, through energy-recovery heat exchangers, to high efficiency secondary heat recovery systems. Heat exchanger and heat recovery systems utilize the thermal energy from solvent vapor incineration to supplement or, in very high efficiency systems, to supply heat for the drying process. The amount of solvent loading in the exhaust stream will affect the net amount of energy required.

The capital cost and the operating costs of these various systems will, in principle, "trade-off," as illustrated in the following simplified example for a small shop of two or three presses, running one shift:

The capital cost and operating cost of conversion to UV must be compared to the capital cost and operating cost of incineration and heat recovery.

Excerpt from: Stowe, R.W., "Some Economic Factors of UV Curing;"
Copyright Fusion UV Systems, Inc.

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