System That Eliminates Aerosol Cans As Hazardous Waste In High Demand As Businesses Comply With 'Green' Mandates
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - Demand for Aerosolv®, a cost-saving aerosol-can puncturing and draining system that neutralizes leftover gasses and liquids in spent spray cans - thus preventing harm to the environment - continues to grow as some of America's largest industrial entities employ the product, says Michael Campbell, president of Virginia Beach-based Katec Inc., the inventor.
Katec's technology punctures, depressurizes and drains aerosol cans containing paint and hydrocarbons - volatile organic compounds that vaporize and, because they pollute groundwater, soil and the air, are subject to strict federal EPA handling regulations.
Without such a system, EPA requires aerosol cans to be placed in drums and put through expensive, time-consuming disposal processes. According to Mark Hamlett, an engineer with TRW Automotive, the nation's largest manufacturer of automotive safety equipment, his company's disposal costs dropped more than 98 percent since implementing the Aerosolv system five years ago.
AAMCO, the nationwide transmission dealer, started testing Aerosolv at its Virginia Beach, Va., shop in April. Owner Rodney Kilmon says he is pleased with the way it works, and the system is consistent with AAMCO's effort to be "green."
The Aerosolv system includes a mechanism that punctures the can, drains it of toxins, keeps toxins in a storage drum - from which it can be reused for other industrial purposes - and turns the cans into recyclable metal. This conserves a tremendous amount of energy and diverts a large hazardous waste-stream from landfills.
The Steel Recycling Institute says each pound of recycled steel saves 5,450 BTUs of energy in subsequent steel production. The average large user of the Aerosolv system recycles 1,000 cans per month, representing 250 pounds of scrap steel. About 3.1 billion aerosol cans are sold in the U.S. each year and 10.5 billion worldwide, according to the Web site aboutaerosols.com.
The Norfolk Naval Base's Resource Recovery and Recycling Program saved $333,738 with the Aerosolv system and recovered 17 tons of scrap steel. The scrap represents a saving of 185 million BTUs -- enough energy to light 5,000 households for one year.
Katec was founded in 1984 as a specialty toolmaker for heavy industry and counts among its national clients Coca-Cola and Target. Downloadable high-resolution photographs, video and more information are available at: http://aerosolv.com/media.
CONTACT:
Michael Campbell, 757-373-9941/ 800-843-6808
