Air pollution control
Vehicle production at Daimler plants creates emissions, most notably in the form of solvents (volatile organic carbon compounds, or VOCs) released in the paint shops. Other pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulates, are emitted into the atmosphere primarily through combustion processes in furnaces and at engine test rigs. We will strive to reduce the low level of emissions achieved to date even further wherever possible. Benchmarks show that painting technology for passenger cars has already reached a very high standard, and as a result further reductions of emissions are scarcely possible. For example, the introduction of water-based paints in the 1990s enabled us to reduce solvent emissions by some 70 percent at the passenger car plants. Reducing emissions in the painting of commercial vehicles and drive trains is still possible, and we are using innovative solutions to do so. In 2009, for example, an especially innovative system was launched at the axle paint shop of the Gaggenau plant, where it has been substantially reducing solvent emissions, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions. The paint shop uses special paints that dry in just 90 seconds under ultraviolet light. By comparison, conventional paints take 30 minutes to dry at 80 degrees Celsius.
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