25    OVERVIEW OF THE AIR FORCE ENGINEERING AND
SERVICES CENTER'S HAZARDOUS WASTE
MINIMIZATION PROGRAM
Charles J. Carpenter, Environmental Research Engineer
Headquarters, Air Force Engineering and Services Center
HQ AFESC/RDVS
Tyndall AFB, FL 32403-6001
INTRODUCTION
The United States Air Force operates many facilities which generate hazardous waste. Five of these,
called Air Logistics Centers (ALCs), are major depot level repair facilities. They contain all of the
necessary industrial equipment and processes required to overhaul and repair the Air Forces aircraft
and ground support equipment. Electroplating, painting, depainting, machine shops, and cleaning/
degreasing operations are just some of the processes that contribute to the generation of hazardous
wastes at these facilities. The electroplating facility at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) alone covers
40,000 square feet. That shop along with the other equivalently sized industrial shops generate 1.4
million gallons of wastewater per day. Used electroplating baths, spent solvents and paints, and rinse
waters from electroplating and other industrial operations contain heavy metals and organics which
make those substances hazardous wastes. One of the principal contaminants of the wastewaters from
these facilities is chromium, primarily in the hexavalent form. Other metal contaminants include
nickel, copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc. Currently these contaminants pose environmental hazards
and must be treated as hazardous wastes and the sludge from treatment of these wastes must be
disposed of at hazardous waste facilities at significant cost ($300/ton at Tinker AFB).
The Air Force Engineering and Services Center (AFESC) has developed an overall plan for providing eventual elimination of all hazardous waste generation from Air Force electroplating facilities.
The plan divides total hazardous waste generation into five main technical areas; cleaning and
degreasing wastes; metallic wastes; protective coatings wastes; paint stripping wastes; and air toxic
contaminants. Under the program, projects are being developed and completed in each of these
technical areas which will reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous wastes from Air Force
facilities. Some of these technologies are advanced end of pipe treatment processes such as ferrous
sulfate/sodium sulfide metals treatment and metals recovery from industrial sludges, other projects
are technologies to treat the problem at the source by chemical or process substitution or modification. All of these technologies are designed to provide cost-effective methods of meeting compliance
requirements and eliminating future liabilities. The following are summaries representative of the
work that is accomplished at the Air Force Engineering and Services Laboratory, Tyndall AFB, FL.
BIODEGRADABLE SOLVENT SUBSTITUTION
Objective
The purpose of this program is to: (a) identify solvents for removing wax, grease, and oil that can
be replaced by biodegradable solvents, (b) identify the biodegradable solvents that can be used, and
(c) develop procedures for, and implement, their use.
Solvents and cleaners are used at the Air Force Air Logistics Centers (ALCs) to remove wax, grease,
oil, carbon, and paint from aircraft parts before repairing or electroplating. Most of these solvents are
classified as toxic, and many cannot be treated in industrial waste treatment plants (IWTPs) that
remove organic chemicals by biological processing. Process wastes must be shipped to approved
landfills for disposal. Many solvents will soon be placed under strict EPA control because of their
possible ozone-depleting. Expensive control technologies will be necessary as the new Amendment to
the Clean Air Act becomes law and new substances are made subject to monitoring and control. To
stay in business, a facility must implement new chemicals and processes which result in a significant
45th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, © 1991 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
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