Betaco

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Painting/Coating

Industry: Metal Fabrication

Wastes Reduced: Hazardous Waste

Substance: lacquer

Equipment: Water based paint

Location: San Benito TX

No. of employees: 46

Contact: Neil Benson

Phone: (210) 399-9723

Description:

Betaco manufactures heat exchangers and flexible couplings used in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. As part of a site assistance visit from the TNRCC, several suggestions were implemented to reduce the generation of hazardous waste at Betaco. The major hazardous waste was generated from using a lacquer based coating on the heat exchangers. A satisfactory water based coating system was found that eliminated this waste stream. Other projects included the replacement of aerosol spray paints with paint-stick markers, elimination of 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA) as a cleaning solvent and using drawing soap instead of lacquer on their tube mills.

P2 Application:

A coating manufacturer, Rexcell Coating in El Paso, was able to formulate a water based coating for Betaco to use. Rexcell was also a company visited by the site assistance program, which got these two companies together to solve their hazardous waste problem.

Environmental Benefits:

Over the last five years Betaco has gone from a large quantity generator of hazardous waste to a conditionally exempt small quantity generator. The water based paint program alone has eliminated the generation of approximately 200 gallons of hazardous paint waste and 220 gallons of TCA a year.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

The water based paint is a little cheaper than the lacquer based system and saves the disposal of approximately four drums of hazardous waste a year. This is an immediate savings of a couple of thousand dollars a year to Betaco.

Source: TCEQ