Total Enclosures Capture 100% of a Facility`s Air Pollution

Over the past decade the use of total enclosures to demonstrate and/or maintain capture of printing press emissions has become very popular within both the flexographic and rotogravure printing industries.  Operating a printing press within a properly designed and approved total enclosure assures virtually 100% capture of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and/or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) typically present within the printing area.  Depending upon the actual design, operating presses within a total enclosure may or may not affect the overall sizing and/or technology choice of the required air pollution control system (APCS).

When a company installs an APCS to either destroy (as with a catalytic or thermal oxidizer) or recover (as with a solvent recovery system) the VOCs/HAPs being exhausted from the production process, the overall reduction of emissions must be demonstrated and reported to establish regulatory compliance.  Demonstrating compliance requires quantifying both the percentage of VOC/HAP destroyed (or recovered) by the APCS and the percentage of VOC/HAP being captured from the production process.  Therefore, overall control of VOC/HAP emissions is a combination of both destruction/recovery efficiency and capture efficiency (CE).  Depending upon a facility`s geographic location and the types and quantities of chemicals being used in the production area a company could be required to demonstrate 98%+ overall control of VOC`s/HAP`s.