scholarly journals Studies on Mitigation of Printing Cost, Volatile Organic Compounds Emission and Sustainability in Printing Industries by Using Water-based Inks

Author(s):  
Bhavna Sharma ◽  
Sauraj Singh ◽  
Arun Pandey ◽  
Dharm Dutt ◽  
Anurag Kulshreshtha

Abstract Organic solvents have been frequently and excessively used in the printing process for a long time. The use of organic solvents in solvent-based ink is responsible for fire hazards, volatile organic compounds emission, and high manufacturing cost during printing. The present study aimed at replacing solvent based ink with water-based ink for reducing the volatile organic compounds emissions and carbon footprints in gravure printing without affecting overall printing quality. The PET film was printed with a water-based ink laser engraved cylinder having reduced cell depth and it resulted in the transfer of a low volume of inks on printing substrate. The cost of printing one kg of polyester film with water-based ink was reduced by US$ 1.95 compared to solvent-based ink. The volatile organic compounds emissions for water-based ink were measured at 2478 ppm against 3373 ppm for solvent-based ink. The water-based ink reduced the carbon footprint by 3.04 kg, which was equivalent to CO2 during printing of one kg polyester film used for making flexible pouches compared to solvent-based ink. The outcome of this study may be the benchmark to authorities for green manufacturing systems in gravure printing applications for the betterment of the environment and humanity.

Indoor Air ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Park ◽  
S.-H. Kim ◽  
J.-Y. Moon ◽  
J. S. Song ◽  
J. Choi ◽  
...  

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 637
Author(s):  
Hyeonji Lee ◽  
Kyunghoon Kim ◽  
Yelim Choi ◽  
Daekeun Kim

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known to play an important role in tropospheric chemistry, contributing to ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) generation. Laundry facilities, using petroleum-based organic solvents, are one of the sources of VOCs emissions. However, little is known about the significance of VOCs, emitted from laundry facilities, in the ozone and SOA generation. In this study, we characterized VOCs emission from a dry-cleaning process using petroleum-based organic solvents. We also assessed the impact of the VOCs on air quality by using photochemical ozone creation potential and secondary organic aerosol potential. Among 94 targeted compounds including toxic organic air pollutants and ozone precursors, 36 compounds were identified in the exhaust gas from a drying machine. The mass emitted from one cycle of drying operation (40 min) was the highest in decane (2.04 g/dry cleaning). Decane, nonane, and n-undecane were the three main contributors to ozone generation (more than 70% of the total generation). N-undecane, decane, and n-dodecane were the three main contributors to the SOA generation (more than 80% of the total generation). These results help to understand VOCs emission from laundry facilities and impacts on air quality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajoke F. Idayat Apanpa-Qasim ◽  
Adebola A. Adeyi

Background. Consumer products such as paints are a potentially significant source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxygenated VOCs. Paints for construction and household use have been rapidly changing from oil-based to water-based paints and are one of the commonly identified sources of oxygenated VOCs in indoor environments. Objectives. Four different anti-freezing agents were identified and analyzed in 174 waterbased paint samples, purchased from popular paint markets in two metropolitan cities in Nigeria, Lagos and Ibadan. Methods. Paint samples were solvent extracted using acetonitrile and milli-Q water. Antifreezing agents in the extracts were identified and quantified using gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry and a GC-flame ionization detector, respectively. Discussion. Four different anti-freezing agents were identified in the samples, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol and propylene glycol. Their levels ranged from 1,000-1,980 ppm, diethylene glycol; 1,000–3,900 ppm, triethylene glycol; 1,090–2,510 ppm, propylene glycol and 1,350–2,710 ppm, ethylene glycol. Levels of anti-freezing agents in all of the paint samples were above the permissible limits of the European Union for VOCs in paints of 500 ppm. Results of multivariate statistical analyses clearly showed that triethylene glycol was the most commonly used anti-freezing agent in paints despite its numerous harmful health effects. Conclusions. We concluded that water-based paints marketed in Nigeria contain high concentrations of anti-freezing agents, which have harmful environmental and human health effects, especially to sensitive individuals such as children. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.


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