Thermal Spray Removal of Lead-Based Paint from the Viaduct Bridge at Rock Island Arsenal, IL

Lead-based paint has in the past been used on many steel structures to control corrosion. Peeling lead-based paint cannot be overcoated but must be removed. During removal by conventional techniques, a tight containment structure is required to keep lead dust from contaminating air, soil, or water, and special worker protection is required. These protective measures are cumbersome and expensive. This report documents a field demonstration at the Rock Island Arsenal, IL, that validated the thermal spray vitrification TSV process as a safe and effective technique for removing lead-based paint from a steel bridge. Specially formulated glass was applied in a molten state to painted steel using a conventional thermal spray application system. The molten glass reacts with the paint, and encapsulates the lead. The cooled glass readily cracks and falls off, removing the paint. After onsite remelting, of the glass waste to complete the encapsulation process, the final waste product is chemically inert and may be disposed of in a regular landfill. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Air Pollution Control determined that the glass remelt process could be considered a paint-removal operation for which no air quality permit was required.