On top of that, it evaporates so fast it is not a very effective wiping solvent. Then he complains about $8 /gal cost. There are plenty of aqeous solns that are more effective and cheaper. He could even use mineral spirits if he just has to be a bad boy.
He is using this compound in a vapor degreaser. Prior to using this he used either a chlorinated solvent or a CFC. When the state set the threshholds on reporting and recordkeeping he made the switch because he can use 50 tons per year of the Zep without reporting whereas the CFC would require reporting at 6 tons per year.
Lets take his word for it, he is not dumping or burning. He does say he lets the material evaporate. Now in his degreasing process he is going to emit. That is the nature of the process. But he does have to handle the spent solvent responsibly. I wonder what he does with those drums with all the sludge in them after the smog gasses have evaporated? Munincipal Landfill?
All he has to do is pay a processor to haul this stuff away. They will do his paperwork for him and haul it on their trucks. They will distill it and sell the btus to the cement kiln and send the sludge to the hazardous waste landfill. Everybodys covered. Should a regulator want to see his record, all he has to do is show him the purchasing records and the processor records and the difference went up the stack.
Is this man being picked on? What about all the others across the country and around the world who are doing an identical or similar process. Is he the only person using the Zep product?
I e-mailed Zep about this.
Let's face it. Hydrocarbon solvents just work better than their politically-correct water-based substitutes. The recent loss of the space shuttle Columbia is a perfect example of what happens when you replace Trichloroethylene with the lemon-scented, environmentally-friendly, water-based stuff.