TBF co-founders David Rowat (left) and Dave Pasin with barrels of their biodegradable and non-carcinogenic solvents | PHOTO © Dominic Schaefer
Source: www.biv.com By Tyler Orton – Mon Jun 9, 2014 3:25pm PST
It’s been more than two decades since one of the most influential environmental regulatory bodies in the United States certified a solvent as containing no hazardous air pollutants. The certification wasn’t awarded to a product developed in a mega-corporation’s lab, but rather, at a warehouse in Surrey. TBF Environmental Technology announced June 9 California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) had officially approved its green solvent alternative ZemaSol. The certification recognizes the product contains no ozone-depleting materials and does not contribute to global warming. It also means the product can be sold throughout the U.S. — TBF’s largest market — since it meets Environmental Protection Agency requirements “First of all, it proves that our product is VOC (volatile organic compound)-exempt,” said TBF president Dave Pasin. “They (AQMD) had to do testing on it to make sure it fit their requirements.” VOCs are harmful to both the atmosphere and to human health. Solvents found in paints and coatings are among the most dangerous and most common. But TBF developed a green alternative to these types of VOCs by working backwards from the regular techniques employed at big chemical companies. “It’s huge (for the company),” Pasin said, “because customers have been out there looking for an alternative to the present variety of VOC-exempt solvents.” He added the biggest challenge is going to be keeping up with orders. The company has a production facility based in Richmond, but a larger plant is scheduled to open up in Ontario by the end of the month.