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OAR Box 1384 

Prepped by Charmelle Mathews 

Document Number: 

63) ll-E-23 

Docket Number: 

A-94-52 

Printed 7/2/2008 8:42:05 AM Sheet 63 of 264 
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CONTACT REPORT 

From: Wanita Dunston, US Environmental Protection Agency 

Madeleine Strum, US Environmental Protection Agency 

Date of Contact: August 1, 1995 ^ , . ~ "f 

Contact: Richard Wells, Laboratory Manager 

Company/Agency: Spaulding Composites Company 

Telephone Number: (815)758-8181 '"**""*"""* "- ~ 

CONTACT SUMMARY 

Notes prepared by Wanita Dunston. 

• WHAT IS VOLUMETRIC FLOW RATE THROUGH THE INCINERATOR. The 

volumetric flow rate is 14000 cfm. WHAT IS THE INLET CONCENTRATION OF 

STYRENE TO THE OXIDIZER? There is no styrene at the inlet. 

• TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR SATURATION PROCESS. We manufacture 

phenolic plastics, primarily. Spaulding manufactures some phenolic resins, some are 

supplied from manufactures. The resin is put into the machine, paper or cloth is put into 

the dip pan and then goes through squeeze rolls, then into the oven by a conveyer belt. 

The heat in the oven partially drives off the solvents, and these solvent vapors travel 

through the manifold hood into the incinerator. (The general process is steam powered). 

Material from out ofthe end ofthe horizontal curing ovens is either cut into sheets or 

rolled onto rollers; this is called prepreg (B-stage). 

• This material is sent to store rooms until needed by the other processes. Prepreg sheets 

go to the press room. The prepreg sheet is placed between steel plates under pressure and 

heat; this completes the cross lining ofthe plastics. The steel plates are removed leaving 

the finished sheets, which are sent to the fabrication process for cutting and machining into 

the desired shape. The rolled B-stage goes to the tube rolling machine. Web goes across 

steam heated rollers. The heat melts off the resin, and then it is wrapped around the 

mandrel until the desired wall thickness is obtained. The final cure ofthe tube takes place 

in the oven. The mandrel with the tube on it is placed into the oven. When curing is 

complete, the tube puller removes the tube, and it is machined to sell to the customer. 

• ARE THERE ANY PLANTS WITH SIMILAR PROCESSES? Yes, Westinghouse (in 

North or South Carolina, he wasn't sure which), Norplex (near Wisconsin, Iowa)-they 

have an incinerator and Allied Signal is their parent company. 
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WHAT ARE THE CAPTURE AND DESTRUCTION EFFICIENCIES? Capture is 95% 

and the destruction is 99.3%. 

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS 

1. WHAT TYPE OF OXIDIZER IS USED (catalytic or thermal)? WHO IS THE 

MANUFACTURER OF THIS OXIDIZER? 

2. WHAT ARE THE CAPITAL/ANNUALIZED OPERATING COSTS FOR THE 

OXIDIZER? 

3. WHAT IS THE INLET CONCENTRATION (TO THE INCINERATOR) OF HAP 

CONSTITUENTS? (phenol, formaldehyde, methanol, etc.) 

4. IN THE SURVEY, IT IS STATED THAT YOUR PLANT CONTAINS: 2 REACTORS, 

4 COATERS, 9 LAMINATE PRESSES, AND 7 MOLDING PRESSES. HOW MANY OF 

THE ABOVE COMPONENTS ARE CONTROLLED? 

5. IT IS FURTHER STATED THAT SOLVENT FUMES (CONSISTING OF LESS 

THAN 0.1 TPY OF HAP EMISSIONS) ARE VENTED TO THE INCINERATOR DURING 

THE SATURATION PROCESS. ARE THESE THE SAME ONES YOU WERE REFERRING 

TO IN THE SATURATION PROCESS DESCRIPTION ABOVE? 

6. WHY ARE THERE NO EMISSIONS FROM CURING DURING THE LAMINATION/ 

TUBE ROLLING PROCESS, BUT THERE ARE EMISSIONS FROM THE SATURATION 

PROCESS? 

7. CFA (COMPOSITES FABRICATION ASSOCIATION) WOULD TERM YOUR 

PROCESS AS CONTINUOUS LAMINATION. CONTINUOUS LAMINATION IS DEFINED 

AS THE FOLLOWING: reinforcement and resin are combined on a plastic film that is pulled 

through the process. A second plastic film is applied over the reinforcement and resin to allow 

mixing and exclusion of air that is usually accomplished by compaction rollers. The curing is done 

in an oven. In this process, sheets are continually produced, like SMC, then heat is applied to 

cure them; the application has a bath. It is also similar to pultrusion. 

8. WHY DO YOUR EPOXY RESINS HAVE HAP EMISSIONS? (IN SATURATION 

PROCESS, THE 20 TPY OF EPOXY RESIN LISTED IN THE FEEDSTOCKS IS STATED 

TO CONTAIN TOLUENE AND MEK.) WE WERE TOLD (AND HAVE FOUND FROM 

VARIOUS SOURCES) THAT EPOXY RESINS HAVE NO HAP EMISSIONS. 
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9. WHY ISN'T THE SATURATION PROCESS REFERRED TO AS PREPREG 

MANUFACTURING? 

Information is accurate: 

Richard Wells 
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08/08^95 1582? S 8X5 ?58 1561 SPOULDING-SPD 01 

Date: August 8,1995 

To: Wanita Dunston, USEPA 

From: Richard Wells 

Spaulding Composites Co. Inc. 

1015 South Seventh Street 

DcKaJb,Il 60115 

Subj: Contact Summaiy, August 1,1995, Additional Questions 

1. A thennal oxidizer is used. It was manufactured by Combusion Engineering Associates. 

2. The capital costs ofthe incinerator in 1972 were approximately S2S0K and the annualized 

costs ofthe incinerator are approximately SlOOk at present 

3. The inlet concentration to the incinerator of HAP constituents is in the area of 2-3% methanol 

and under 1% for the phenol, cresol, and formaldehyde levels. 

4. The plant contains: 2 reactors, 3 coaters, 9 laminating presses, and 7 molding presses. The 2 

reactors are controlled by condensers and 3 coaters are controlled by the incinerator. 

5. I assume tint emissions from the incinerator was what I had m mind for less than 0.1 TPY 

HAP emissions. Of course, many tons of methanol are red to me incinerator each year but are 

destroyed in it These fumes are tbe ones I was referring to in the process description. 

6. The saturation process evaporates the solvents from the web ofB-Stage which arc then bumed 

in the incinerator. It also partially cross links the molecules in the resin. The heating in the 

laminating or tube rolling processes is tor the purpose of Uquifying the resin so it flows evenly 

throughout the material and then completing the cross linldng ofthe molecules forming a 

thermoset plastic. The vehicle solvents are removed in the saturation process and no longer 

present at the tube rollin process. 

7. Our process uses no plastic film in any form at all. The resin is absorbed into the substrate of 

cloth or paper and coats its surface. The heat of the oven is then used to drive off solvents and 

paitailly cross link the resin. Exposure to air rather tiian exclusion from air is a key element in 

our process. 

8. Our epoxy resins have HAP emissions because solvents must be used as a vehicle to facilitate 

the absorption ofthe resin into the substrate (usually glass cloth). Ihe treater ovens then 

volatilize tiie solvents which are conveyed to the incinerator and oxidized Phenolic resins for 

that matter have no solvents in them either, if not needed as a processing aid. 
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08'08'95 15:28 X 815 758 1561 SPfiULDING-SPD 82 

9. Tiie saturation process at this company predates the tenn Pre 

description of what we do. The tenn Prepreg is an inclusive tenn which could describe 

several processes not used at this location such as rovings sprayed with resin, tumbling substrate 

with resin, powder application, etc. 

Infonnation is accurate to the best of my knowledge: / ( [ \ C/L^yjPjSd-) 

Richard Wells