In ASK Chemicals’ white paper, you can read how VOC-optimised binder systems can be used to reduce emissions in core production.

The technical and financial effort to reduce emissions has been increasing for years. This affects all material flows, as well as exhaust air systems, afterburning and disposal of contaminated material (wastewater, sands).The focus on the risks posed by combustion products on the casting line is increasingly giving way to a holistic view of emissions across the entire production chain.

The issue of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) has not progressed very far yet, particularly in foundries, but could become more important in the future, as it has already in other industrial fields, such as paints and varnishes where far-reaching regulations have been passed to limit the emissions caused by VOCs.

The disposal of used sand is a growing problem for many foundries due to more restrictive limit values, higher costs, and thus a limitation of the available landfill operations. New binder systems with a reduced free phenol content <1% like Ecocure Blue are an important building block for minimising pollution in old sand and can, therefore, expand the scope for action again.

Furthermore, since February 2020, the formaldehyde emissions in the exhaust gas must not exceed a mass flow rate of 12.5g/h or a mass concentration of 5mg/m³. The limit value is now only a quarter of the original value. This is particularly important in drying ovens and connected exhaust peripherals. In addition to technical solutions, low-formaldehyde systems (LFS) have recently become available, which, through a combination of formaldehyde-reduced and reducing materials (coating, binder, additive), have been shown to reduce this value below the limit.

For further details contact DZantech on TEL: 079 514 6885 or visit www.askchemicals.com