Solvent cleaning and drying is part of a group of smaller sources of pollution known as area sources — smaller activities by businesses or facilities that, when measured across a group of sites, can accumulate to large amounts of pollution impacting Delaware’s air quality.

What is Regulated?

Solvent cleaning is the process of using solvents to remove contaminants from various plastic, metal or other substrates (surfaces). The following businesses may use solvent cleaning and drying in their operations: vehicle sales and servicing locations; machine shops; and manufacturers and servicers of electronic, pharmaceutical, aerospace, and other mobile equipment.

DNREC has amended Section 33.0 (Solvent Cleaning and Drying) of the Control of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions Regulations (7 DE Admin. Code 1124 and Appendices) to adopt certain provisions from the Ozone Transport Commission 2012 model rule for solvent degreasing.

DNREC has prepared an example placard (Batch Cold Cleaning Machine Workplace Practices) that facilities can post.

Related Topics:  air quality, air quality permits, area sources, clean air, permitting and regulation, registrations, solvent