Events

NCER News Item

Friday, October 12 11:35 AM ET
EPA - Funded Small Business Receives Prestigious Tibbetts Award

NCER Staff Writer

WASHINGTON (NCER) - ASTER, Inc., with support from EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, has successfully developed and commercialized a process to recycle automotive overspray paint wastes that are usually deposited in landfills. The processed paint waste (also called recycled paint polymer or RPP) is used as an ingredient in a unique roofing system for commercial building owners with flat or low-sloped roofs needing repair or replacement. Because this process eliminates the need to landfill these wastes, its use can help address the problem of landfill overcrowding. In addition, this technology supports EPA’s strategic goal of decreasing the quantity of waste requiring disposal.

Paints and coatings, especially those used in the automotive industry, are a significant source of chemical waste. It is estimated that nearly 40 percent of the six gallons of paint used to produce the exterior finish on an automobile ends up as waste. In 1992 alone, about 75,000,000 lbs. of paint sludge was generated by the U.S. automotive industry. In an automobile assembly plant, excess paint is collected beneath the automobile in a trough filled with water. Typically, the waste paint solids, known as paint sludge, are concentrated for disposal in a landfill.

Paint sludge, and similar streams from other industries, make significant contributions to landfills. ASTER, Inc. developed a method to recycle the paint sludge into ingredients for sealants that are used in rubber/cloth composite roofing materials. The material is sprayed directly onto an old roof, forming a strong, flexible, and seamless cover with distinct advantages over other roofing materials. The cover can be placed directly over an existing roof, avoiding expenses related to tear-off and disposal. For this reason, building owners can expect to save between 25% and 75% of the cost of a standard new roof.

ASTER patented several innovative methods for recycling paint sludge and introducing these materials into sealants. In one process, paint sludge is treated using both mechanical and chemical drying agents to produce a powder. In another method, the water is removed by agitating the concentrated sludge in a vacuum to create a dehydrated putty. Both the powder and putty can then be used as a filler in sealants and other products. By extending the patented recycling technology to water-based roof sealers, ASTER has developed a rubber/cloth composite roof cover. The product forms a tough and flexible seamless roof surface that is sprayed directly in place with a safe, solvent-less, water-based coating.

ASTER has received several awards for its achievements in recycling technology from the Greene County Ohio Board of Commissioners, the City of Fairborn, Ohio City Council and the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. Also, ASTER has received the Ohio Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency. ASTER currently operates roofing operations in Dayton, Ohio and Charleston, South Carolina, and has successfully installed more than 600,000 pounds of its roof cover over metal, rubber, and built-up roofs. As a result, 1 million pounds of recycled paint waste and homeowner latex paint waste were kept out of landfills and used in roof sealants.

Research Opportunities | Guidance & FAQs | Grants | Fellowships | Small Business | Research Centers | Other Programs
Research Results | Science Topics
About NCER | Publications | Events | Search | Personalize

EPA Home | Privacy and Security Notice | Contact Us