Breathe Easy With Environmental Controls

Keeping silicone under control

Whether in pressure-sensitive materials or on coating lines, silicone shows up in many printers’ press rooms. It can enhance a finished product’s attributes or help improve production characteristics. However, silicone does come with its own set of environmental challenges. Scott Shaver, product manager at Catalytic Products, states the basis for these problems stems from the oxidation process. “During operation of the production source, silicones are driven off along with the VOCs,” he says. “Since the air pollution control equipment is installed to destroy the VOCs, any system has to be designed to also process the silicone vapors. During the oxidation process, silicone will convert to silicon dioxide (SiO2). This [SiO2] is often the culprit for failing and/or under-performing air pollution control equipment.”