Ink Related Pollution in Printing Industries

By: W A J Anurangi Department of Chemical & Process Engineering University of Moratuwa.

Introduction
The printing industry is one of the main industries in the world and it is mainly composed of six major branches that can be categorized according to the printing process they involve. These processes include sheetfed offset; heatset web offset; nonheatset web offset; gravure, flexography and screen printing; smaller sub-branches such as letterpress and thermography; and many different combinations of these printing processes in one plant (e.g. heatset web and sheetfed or sheetfed and flexography). Each branch of printing is unique in its distinctive prepress, press, or postpress operations. Each process in every branch uses a variety of raw materials and chemicals. In the prepress operation, a variety of photoprocessing films, plates, and chemicals are used. The main concerns in this operation are spent photoprocessing chemicals such as film fixer and developer and plate developer and finisher (process wastewater), which are routinely discharged into sewers by most printers operating in large metropolitan areas. The press operation involves many different grades, shapes, and sixes of paper stock, printing inks, overprint varnishes and coating materials, straight and blended organic cleaning solvents, types of plate and blanket cleaning and preserving chemicals and grades of lubricating oils. The main environmental concerns in this operation include stack and fugitive VOC emissions (i.e. air pollutants) generated from the use of inks and cleaning solvents, the wash-up waste (i.e. industrial and hazardous wastes) generated during routine roller, plate, and blanket cleaning, waste and off-spec inks (i.e. industrial and hazardous wastes), huge quantities of printed waste papers (mostly recycled) and the waste oils (mostly used for heat recovery) generated from lubricating of printing presses. In the postpress operation, large quantities of various grades of adhesives are used in the binding of printed products. The main environmental concerns in this operation include VOC emissions from solvent-based adhesives and large quantities of rejected printed products. The largest contributor to pollution in postpress operation is the paper waste generated as well as everything else that is involved in making that waste paper.

Most of these concerns VOC emissions, industrial and hazardous wastes, and wastewater are mainly due to the overuse of raw materials, lack of total quality management, failure to recognize the benefit of pollution prevention to the overall business, and lack of stimulus for initiating changes.

Major Waste Streams in Printing Industry

The three major types of wastes in the printing industry include: 1. Solid Wastes - In a general printing environment solid waste could consist of the following: empty containers, used film packages, outdated materials, damaged plates, developed film, dated materials, test production, bad printing or spoilage, damaged products, and scrap paper. 2. Wastewater - Wastewater from printing operations may contain lubricating oils, waste ink, cleanup solvents, photographic chemicals, acids, alkalis, and plate coatings, as well as metals such as silver, iron, chromium, copper and barium. 3. Air Emissions - Printing operations produce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the use of cleaning solvents and inks, as well as alcohols and other wetting agents (used in lithographic printing). Larger plants can be the source of NOx and SOX emissions.

Ink
Ink is the main raw material used in the printing industries and it is the largest source of pollution in the printing industry. Ink is made of pigments, solvents and several auxiliary components. Some ink has toxicity of heavy metal ions which has a lot of harm to human health. Ink solvent
evaporation has an important affection to air pollution and other issues; the most serious is gravure printing ink, because it emits high amount of VOC. Volatile organic compound can form more serious gas than the carbon dioxide and form oxides and photochemical smog under the sunlight exposure

and it affect to a serious pollution to the atmosphere or the environment.

Alcohol- and petroleum-based ink systems use various solvents that are major contributors to pollution. Effective solvent recovery systems are needed to develop, implement and maintain sound pollution prevention programs when using alcohol- and oil-based systems.

Pollution Prevention Methods in Printing Industry

1. Some kinds of environment friendly ink
With the growing of environmental protection environment friendly ink is more important. Therefore, several types of environment friendly ink can be used for mitigating ink related pollution.

1. Water based ink

The biggest difference between Water-based ink and solvent-based ink is the use of water instead of organic solvents in water-based ink. It reduces the VOC emission to prevent air pollution; it is especially suitable for food, beverage, pharmaceutical packaging and other printed matter.

Water-based inks do have several advantages. They are often classified as nonhazardous and no special air pollution control equipment is required for emissions. Disposal costs are often reduced and these inks are less toxic to employees. The best applications for water-based inks are in flexographic printing, gravure printing, as well as textile screen operations. Non-VOC containing cleaners can be used for removing the water-based ink. Water-based inks are capable of receiving various additives that assist ink drying, ink holdout, ink laydown and printability on various substrates. These additives are used by the press crew in different ratios and formulas depending on the desired finished product. Complete water-based ink systems do not need the vapor recovery concerns that the alcohol and solvent-based ink systems need. This might be a strong consideration to evaluate water-based ink systems.

Water-based inks, however, while more environmentally sound in that there is little need for petroleum-based solvents in the printing process, have several problems associated with them. The most noticeable of these is the significant increase in chemical additives required. It will necessitate the training of workers in basic chemistry and during this period the likelihood of cost is high. If incorrect chemicals or solvents of any kinds are mixed into a water-based system, the ink will curdle. Surface tension of the water-based ink is high and therefore reduces the transfer efficiency of the ink to substrate. Another problem with the water-based system is a somewhat limited color choice. Water-based inks require increased energy for drying and there are occasional difficulties in ink spread. Paper curl and shutting down of presses for short periods of time for more frequent cleaning all contribute to the difficulties in using these inks. Another disadvantage is that dried ink on the press and rollers can be very difficult to remove. Water-based ink systems may not allow the same press speeds to be maintained due to the need for extra drying capacity. Because there are no solvents that evaporate and help dry the inks, the water-based inks must be heat-set and dried in various types of ovens. Generally water-based ink systems are run through ovens that are gas fired, re-circulating air ovens.

2. Water less ink

Waterless inks are high viscosity inks with characteristics similar to petroleum based inks. The major difference in these ink systems is a resin which produces high viscosity, but requires exact temperature controls. The temperature must be controlled with a three stage refrigeration unit. A waterless system requires a high initial capital investment and careful monitoring during operations. However, the waterless ink reduces volatile organic compound emission by as much as 90 percent. Special lithographic presses or re-fitted presses are needed to run waterless inks and special plates, exposure methods, and plate handling techniques need to be employed when waterless inks are used.

The press operator experience can also be a factor in the success of waste reduction. An inexperienced press operator will often mix more colors than necessary to achieve the desired specialty color. For a new employee, using a digital scale whenever measuring ink will improve accuracy. Planning ahead and using the fewest mixing colors will reduce the amount of waste skins needing disposal. Once the ink has been mixed, the use of an anti-oxidant spray will prevent ink skinning in the fountain. These substances are physical barriers to oxygen, and inhibit the drying reaction. Once the press is running, the anti-oxidant burns off on the ink roller greatly reducing or eliminating its effect. The inks can then dry on the substrate. A potential drawback is the same ink in the fountain may be wasted during start-up because it doesn't perform as well a non-treated ink.

3. UV ink
Ultraviolet systems consist of a photo-polymerization process that uses mercury vapor lamps. This method has high initial costs, high ink/coating costs, low energy costs, and has no hydrocarbon emissions. The driving force to use UV systems is low VOCs. High quality radiation and optimum spectral distribution are the keys in perfecting the use of these systems. UV-curable (UV) ink is the ultraviolet radiation, take advantage of different wavelengths of ultraviolet light and energy to make the ink forming into film and drying. At present, UV ink has become a more mature ink technology, it has no pollution emission. UV-curable inks are widely used in the printing industry for printing primarily on plastic, vinyl, metal and paper substrate. These inks contain low VOCs. Curing is done by ultraviolet light-induced polymerization. These inks will not dry on a press or in ink fountains so cleaning requirements may also be reduced. Some reported advantages of UV curables include:

decreased or eliminated VOC emissions less frequent press cleaning and associated solvent use

reduction in required floor space (eliminates need for drying ovens or racks) increased throughput elimination of ventilated storage of sheets during oxidative drying

On the negative side, the following barriers have been reported by screen printers using UV curables:

performance is not always as good (insufficient opacity and color matching) substrates with deeply textured surfaces are not currently suitable for UV-curables outdoor durability may be a problem a significant capital investment is needed for conversion to UV systems small printers may not experience the increased production speed and ink cost/coverage benefits due to shorter average runs

ink costs are often higher Recycling problems may be encountered with substrate printed with UV inks.

4. Vegetable oil based ink

Vegetable oil-based inks are used only in the lithographic industry. Soybean oil inks can replace 20 to 40 percent of petroleum based oils in ink. The soybean oil replacement is said to reduce volatile organic compound content by as much as 80 percent. This advantage is somewhat limited due to the continued use of solvents for cleaning. The soybean oil inks are more expensive than petroleum inks and require somewhat longer drying times in non-heatset applications. The drying times can be shortened by the installation of custom dryers or power sprayers. Benefits of soy oil-based inks are: VOC emissions into the atmosphere can be reduced on heatset presses because the VOC content of soy oil-based ink is potentially lower than traditional petroleum based inks (based on the percentage of soy oil in the ink); press washes for soy oil-based inks can be water/detergent types, thus reducing or eliminating the need for high VOC solvent formulations; less paper waste from quicker start-ups, as water and ink balance is reached more easily; and spoilage during runs from color or variation in tracking is minimized; quicker and more even ink coverage to the press

blanket is achieved. Brighter colors and darker blacks are produced, because soy oilbased inks have greater color retention than do traditional petroleum-based inks. The disadvantages are: longer drying time, ink sitting up on the paper, cost, and substituting other chemicals for the petroleum-based ink processes requires operator adjustment and training.

5. Electron beam curable

EBC inks consist of low-molecular weight polymers that react with a stream of electrons from a vacuum tube. These inks contain no solvents, and do not cure until exposed to light and may therefore remain in ink fountains for long periods of time, reducing cleanup needs. The electrons drive the reaction, forming polymers and setting the ink. Problems reported with EBC inks include paper degradation and worker exposure to Xray. Electron beam dryers use polymerization by electron bombardment to dry liquid and powdered coatings. These dryers have high initial costs and low to moderate operating costs. They are sometimes used for higher gloss coatings and metal decorating applications.

2. Environment friendly Wash-up Solvent

Printers must use wash-up solvent to clean the roller train, blanket, plate, screen, cylinder, and other pieces of equipment that come into contact with printing inks composed mainly of hydrocarbon oils, vegetable oils, organic solvents, resins, rosins, pigments, water, and hundreds of different additives. There are millions of ink formulae currently used by ink manufacturers. Each is different. This makes cleaning very difficult. Most printers normally use a blend of alcohol and aliphatic and aromatic solvents (usually 100 percent VOC), that has a fairly low flash point (usually < 140F). The blend cleans the ink residues very quickly, evaporates almost immediately, and leaves no residue.

Consequently, VOC emissions are generated. Thus, it becomes an emission source of VOC, an ozone precursor in the lower atmosphere. Many organic solvent manufacturers have developed various low VOC wash-up solvents for printers. However, they leave too much residue after each use. Thus, printers have to use another solvent to clean the residue and, consequently, spend more time cleaning blankets, rollers, and plates. Printers need a solvent that has a fairly high flash point so it will not flash so quickly and disappear into the pressroom during application. Such a solvent can still clean ink residue as effectively as those with low flash solvents do, yet would leave no residue after application. Most critical of all, no further cleanup would be needed if such a solvent was used. If this ideal wash-up solvent could be developed, printers would definitely be able to greatly reduce and even prevent the air pollution when using wash-up solvent for cleaning.

3. Printing Ink Recycling and Reuse

Some printing inks (i.e. heatset and nonheatset web inks) recycling facilities have been established in the last few years. These facilities literally reclaim spent and used inks from printers, make black ink out of those waste inks and eventually sell the black ink back to the printers at a much lower price. Only a minimum amount of reprocessing waste is generated. This type of reuse and recycling literally reduces the ultimate disposal of spent inks through incineration to nearly zero and at the same time, reduces the amount of air pollution generated. Ink recycling is by far the most economic and environmentally sound approach to waste ink management.

4. Computerized Imaging and Printing Systems

Several new imaging and printing systems can bypass all traditional printing methodologies, namely film making, plate making, and printing. These systems can take an image from a picture, manipulate it on the screen controlled by a computer, and have it

printed on computerized printing equipment with specialized multicolor printing inks. These new systems literally eliminate all chemicals used in conventional printing and, thus, all associated pollution.

5. Total Quality Management

The printing process is different from many other industrial processes and also unique by virtue of its own peculiar characteristics. The most prominent of these characteristics is the chained, irreversible process. As an example, printing is a step-wise process where each step resembles a link in a piece of chain. Each step produces a product that leads and feeds to the next one until the final product is made. The product from each step is not reversible once it is made. If a flaw is found in the product, it almost has to be remade. If a flaw is made at the beginning of the process and not detected in time, it may carry through to the final product. The final product eventually will be rejected by the customer and a rerun is inevitable. This leads to the second prominent characteristic of printing the chained and blown-up effect of waste generation. Therefore, the amount of waste generated in a typical printing process could pile up and expand if total quality control is not carefully instituted in the process. The wastes produced encompass not only streams generated during the operation but also everything that is used, produced, and involved in making the final product including the photoprocessing chemicals used; films and plates made; paper wasted; various inks applied; wash-up solvents used; and manpower, equipment time, and utilities utilized. In other words, much more waste and pollution can be generated in addition to those waste streams that can be physically evaluated. Some of these things cannot be physically analyzed (e.g. energy which is indirectly tied to air pollution). This probably is the single most influential factor that leads to a majority of the waste and pollution problems confronting most printing plants. Total quality management in a printing plant involves every process and employee. The reason is that each process is equally important.

6. Good Housekeeping
Ink waste can be reduced by 20% through good housekeeping. Among them planning of the overall job load is important. It will reduce waste and prevent spoilage and obsolescence. Planning allows for scheduling of the daily runs to reduce the colour changes and to run inks from lighter to dark. Planning also allows the press operator to prepare only the amount of ink needed for the days job. A digital scale makes the entire process more accurate and decreases the amount of ink wasted as a result of "guesstimation" errors. A good housekeeping and maintenance program helps to ensure that all machinery and processes are working well with no leaking valves, tanks, etc. Through the proper way of inventory control, the ink pollution can be reduced. In this aspect, the usage based on first in first out is reduced the stores disposal due to expiry. Once solvent based cleaners have been opened, they should be stored safely. Attention must be paid to flammability and flash point. Clearly written guidelines should be made available for workers on correct usage and storage. Safety precautions such as grounding containers and bonding wires should be considered. These guidelines should be included in all training programs and posted near equipment. All volatile solvents should be stored in closed, air-tight containers. If a drum is being used for waste solvent, it is important to cover any funnels or openings. Additional hazardous waste may be generated if raw materials or hazardous wastes are stored improperly. All containers need to be clearly labeled. Store in closed containers, preferably in a locked, covered, indoor area with a concrete floor and curbs for spill containment.