Free VOC Book Tackles New VOC Emission Compliance

Local authorities in England and Wales are now in the process of replacing existing air pollution control authorisations with the new permits that introduce EU VOC emission standards.

Local authorities in England and Wales are now in the process of replacing existing air pollution control authorisations with the new permits that introduce EU VOC emission standards.

To help companies prove compliance with the standards the BCF has produced The VOC Workbook, a document which has taken 18 months to develop and which has now been made available, with the agreement of DEFRA, for companies to download at no cost from BCF's website.

The new EU standards controlling emissions of VOCs in to the atmosphere are very different from those contained in the previous legislation and, therefore, require a different approach to demonstrating compliance.

Although the relevant UK legislation came in to force two years ago, there was no guidance applicable to coatings and ink manufacturers on how compliance should be demonstrated.

The British Coatings Federation (BCF) developed The VOC Workbook to address the very low level of VOC emissions from coatings manufacturing installations, which therefore required a different methodology to that applicable to industrial and professional users of coatings and inks.

Much of the development work was carried out by BCF's environment panel, a group of environmental specialists from member companies, representing large and small companies manufacturing inks, decorative and industrial coatings.

In recognition of the value of The VOC Workbook, the Government has afforded it what is believed to be a unique distinction - a direct reference in the Secretary of State's Guidance Note for The Manufacture of Coatings Materials, PG6/44(04).

That refers to The VOC Workbook as a means of demonstrating compliance with the VOC total emission limits and as a basis for preparation of solvent management plans.

The workbook takes companies through a step-by-step process to identify all relevant solvent inputs and VOC emissions and provides a calculator to produce the final results.

It also includes background information on the development of the methodology and comprehensive instructions on its application and use.

The methodology has been tested by BCF member companies and a number of worked examples are included in the document, which is intended for use by operators of installations with a PG6/44 permit and for UK regulating authorities.

Chris Owen, the production director at Leighs Paints, commented: "The VOC Workbook has been both helpful and easy to use and has enabled us to go through the authorisation process without any problems at all." In agreement with DEFRA, The VOC Workbook and calculator spreadsheet are available for free download from the BCF website by all operators of PG6/44 installations and by local authority regulators.

Amendments will be made from time to time as necessary and users of the document who register with BCF will receive them free of charge.

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