II. R&D NEEDS AND POTENTIAL PROJECTS

The approach of the Research and Technology Work Group as presented here is to identify the substances used in metal finishing operations that are of greatest concern from the point of view of toxicity, risk, and compliance. The four substances that were selected are cadmium plating and alternatives, chlorinated solvents, hexavalent chromium, and cyanide. In addition, crosscutting issues such as performance verification and technology transfer are discussed in this section.

For each substance of concern, a short background is given of its uses and the related health and environmental concerns. Then a number of possible pollution prevention R&D areas and projects is given. Each section was prepared by an expert in the area addressed. All sections and the total Plan were reviewed by the Research and Technology Work Group and other industry and other stakeholder experts. Reviewers were encouraged to add potential research topics to the original list proposed by the section author. Lists were augmented with ideas provided by reviewers and the lists shown therefore reflect a comprehensive list of recommendations of the original authors and the reviewers. The "Recommendations" section of the Plan will combine the projects into a single priority list of R&D projects across all substances and issues. In this manner researchers and funders will know how to direct their efforts. For example, if a Federal agency could only fund one project it would be encouraged to address the project at the top of the list. If two agencies can fund projects, they would be encouraged to coordinate funding of the top two projects, and so on.

This section of the Plan will provide an overview of current R&D in the field of metal finishing, especially related to pollution prevention research and the topics of interest identified by the Work Group: cadmium, hexavalent chromium, chlorinated solvents, cyanide, and the various crosscutting issues. The purpose of the summary is to identify major contributors to and participants in advancing the efficiency and environmental friendliness of the metal finishing industry. Ultimately, the summary should identify where gaps exist in the research and where duplications of effort may point to the potential for leveraging efforts through partnering.

Several sources provided the primary information for this summary. Sources reviewed included a Federal survey of metal finishing research completed in April 1995 and updated in June 1996. In addition, a database maintained by the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Research Center was reviewed. Projects supported by the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society (AESF) Research Board and projects being conducted through academia were also consulted. With these sources, good coverage was obtained of the Federal- and State-supported research and fair coverage of the research being conducted in academia.

The sources and methods used for this Plan provided inadequate coverage of the R&D conducted in the private sector. This is largely the result of the difficulty in getting access to the work done by vendors to the industry, such as chemical suppliers, because of competitiveness issues. Product research is most often not reported in the open literature, at least not until full development and market readiness. A survey similar to the one conducted of the Federal sector may be a way of gathering this information. Suppliers may be willing to reveal very general details of the work they are engaged in and approximate level of funding. They are presumably doing investigations to improve existing chemistries and to a lesser extent develop substitute chemistries. Improved product quality probably motivates the direction of their research more than do environmental considerations.

The following discussion will summarize findings for each of the areas of interest identified previously. The dollar figures provided for each R&D area should be seen as estimates only. Several factors should be kept in mind when reviewing the dollar figures provided. Because the intent is to provide a picture of recent and ongoing research, the time horizon covered is from approximately 1993 to the present.

Many of the studies listed in the Federal survey were concluded by 1996; little information exists as to the R&D that will take its place. Presumably new projects are being conceived and soon will be implemented to take the place of those being concluded. Therefore, the dollar figures provided are probably too low because they do not take into account projects soon to begin. In several cases, large, million dollar plus projects could not be allocated to one topic area. For example, in one project alternatives to both cadmium and chromium were being sought, or in another, bath life extension and recovery processes generally for electroplating were being investigated. In these cases, projects may have been partially double counted.

It is hoped that this Plan will influence the targeting of future R&D projects.