Via TEEA.org
Back in 1998, Nucor Vulcraft Group began searching for ways to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Vulcraft fell short of a breakthrough until Century Industrial Coatings Inc. announced it was researching a product that ultimately became a game changer for the steel fabricator industry. In 2003, Vulcraft and Century partnered to test this cutting-edge, water-based coating in a real-world production setting.
Vulcraft—a company that fabricates steel joists and decking for buildings around the world— is proud of its commitment to the communities and the environment where their facilities are located. Because of that commitment, the Texas Vulcraft facility in Grapeland had worked diligently to reduce emissions of VOCs—its largest environmental challenge. Although facility emissions were within permissible limits, Vulcraft’s management team recognized they needed to use a product with low VOCs, such as a water-based material, to coat steel joists and decking, ultimately slashing emissions.
When Century Industrial Coatings Inc.—a manufacturer of high-quality paints and coating—contacted Vulcraft about testing Century’s low-VOC coating for steel joists, Vulcraft had been testing water-based formulas for a year. Unsuccessful, those tests showed that joists coated with water-based products had rusted more quickly, had longer dry times that slowed production, and were more than twice as costly as solvent-based paint.
Vulcraft agreed to Century’s offer to join forces and formally test Century’s product in practical application. Trials and modifications to the coating continued six more years through 2009. Finally, the paint technology—named Nulo™—received a U.S. patent in May 2009, confirming its innovation and creativity.
Nulo™ paint offers users a number of environmental benefits: The paint offers peace of mind because it is nonhazardous, it reduces the amount of paint sludge generated by facilities, and it costs less to dispose of any waste. Since using Nulo™, Vulcraft dropped its total VOC emissions by nearly 400 tons; the VOCs of joist paint used in the facility dropped from 3.5 pounds a gallon to 0.45 pounds a gallon; and Vulcraft’s hazardous waste generation and disposal has significantly reduced by 35 tons a year.
Vulcraft and Century embarked on a collaborative project with one goal in mind: voluntarily reduce VOCs to safeguard the environment. Their spirit of stewardship and cooperation has led to approximately 95 percent of all joist manufacturers in the U.S. using a water-based product, with the vast majority using Nulo™. Today, Nulo™ technology has expanded to several other industries across the country.
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