Nonbiodegradable Organic Compounds Found in Automotive Spraybooth Scrubber Water

Author： Kim B.R. Zinbo M. Adams J.A. Young W.C.

ISSN： 1061-4303

Source： Water Environment Research, Vol.72, Iss.4, 2000-07, pp. : 405-412

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Abstract

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from painting operations are the largest source of manufacturing emissions for the automotive industry and are costly to control. While investigating the biological degradation of paint solvents in spraybooth scrubber water as a cost-effective VOC control scheme, it was discovered that a significant portion (10 to 20%) of dissolved organics in the water was not biodegradable. All detected paint solvents were degraded, however. Therefore, raw and biologically treated scrubber water samples were analyzed to identify and quantify the nonbiodegradable organics by combined chromatographic, spectroscopic, and thermogravimetric methods. Results indicate that the nonbiodegradable compounds consisted mostly of nitrogen-containing organic polymers (more than 70%) and other organics. The nitrogen-containing compounds are believed to have come mostly from paints and possibly from polymeric detackifiers. Other organics included silicon-containing compounds that might have come from paint additives and maintenance chemicals used at the plant.