Incineration of Residue from Paint Stripping Operations Using Plastic Media Blasting

Abstract

A preliminary investigation has been performed on the environmental consequences of incinerating plastic-media-blasting (PHB) wastes from paint removal operations. PHB is similar to sandblasting although blasting takes place at a much lower pressure. The blasted media can be recovered and recycled several times, but ultimately a residue of paint dust/chips and attrited media dust are left for disposal. This residue is a dry solid that may potentially be classified as a hazardous waste. One possible alternative to depositing the waste residue directly into a hazardous waste landfill is incineration. Incineration would provide desirable volume reduction. However, the fate of heavy metals from the entrained paint waste is not known. Samples of PHB residue were combusted at temperatures between 690°C and 815°C with approximately 125% of stoichiometric air. The ash remaining after combustion was then analyzed for heavy metal content and tested for leachability using the EPA toxicity characteristics leaching procedures (TCLP).