Methane (CH4) is the second largest greenhouse gas emitted in the United States. In 2016, CH4 accounted for about approximately 10% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, according to the US Department of Environmental Services (EPA). A 2015 report in Environmental Science and Technology measured a total of 219 non-compressor connections with […]
Archives for July 2017
Fugitive Emissions: Understanding API Standards for Valves & Packing
Since the introduction of the U.S. Clean Air Act in 1963, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and individual states have set increasingly stringent consent decrees for fugitive emissions from industrial facilities. Many companies have implemented Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs, and industry groups have focused efforts on helping member companies decrease valve emissions. Most […]
The Benefits of Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Coatings
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are defined by the EPA as “any compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates, and ammonium carbonate, which participates in atmospheric photo-chemical reactions.” The most common source of VOCs in the paint and coatings industry are “solvents and thinners” used in the formulation itself […]