The Six TUR Techniques
Under TURA, companies are required to complete a planning process and create a TUR plan for how they could reduce the use of toxics, or generation of toxic byproducts, in their facility. TUR planning centers around identifying and evaluating techniques to reduce use of toxics in the context of your unique facility. There are many ways to achieve TUR, but the different strategies can be generally categorized under six techniques introduced below.
Don’t worry – we will go through these several more times throughout the course!
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Input Substitution
Input substitution: replacing a toxic substance or raw material used in production with a non-toxic or less toxic substance.
Examples:
- Using water-based ink in place of solvent-based ink to print labels on the final products before shipping to a customer.
- Replacing a listed halogenated solvent with an aqueous-based solvent in the degreaser used to remove grease after machining metal parts.
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Product Reformulation
Product reformulation: reformulating or redesigning the product to be nontoxic or less toxic upon use, release, or disposal.
Examples:
- Reformulating paints from solvent-based to water-based.
- Changing stationary product lines to use unbleached rather than bleached paper.
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Production Unit Redesign or Modification
Production unit redesign or modification: using production units of a different design than those used previously.
Examples:
- Moving from traditional solvent-based dry-cleaning operations to professional wet garment cleaning which requires different equipment.
- Replacing a paint-removing system that used solvent-based strippers with a mechanical paint stripping process.
- Using electrostatic paint spray instead of solvent-based paint
- Using ozonation instead of chlorine for corrosion control
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Production Unit Modernization
Production unit modernization: upgrading or replacing existing production unit equipment and methods with equipment and methods of a more recent, more efficient design. This does not change the production process but rather updates an existing process.
Examples:
- Implementing computer process controls for more accurate measurement of chemical use in existing equipment.
- Installing automatic shutoff valves to minimize waste of production solutions, increasing overall efficiency.
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Improved Operations and Maintenance
Improved operation and maintenance: modifying existing chemical management methods, implementing improved housekeeping practices, making system adjustments, or improving process/product inspections to achieve toxics use reduction.
Examples:
- Improving employee training in spill prevention.
- Implementing an inventory management system to prevent the expiration and waste of products containing toxic chemicals.
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Integral Recycling
Integral recycling: recycling, reusing, or extending the use of toxics by using equipment or methods that are integral to the production unit (either through hard-piped connections between equipment or through tightly controlled handling techniques designed to eliminate potential for spills or worker exposures).
Examples:
- Capturing and recycling cleaning solvents within the production unit.
- Upgrading a reportable solvent-based process to provide closed-loop refrigerated condensation of vapors for reuse within the production unit.
When developing ideas for achieving TUR, one should consider all six TUR techniques. This ensures that companies look beyond simple substitutions to consider a broader range of opportunities.