Non Flammable Degreasers With nPB: Their Use in Vapor Degreasing

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Vapor degreasing is a process in which various types of components are cleaned to remove surface accumulations of grease and similarly constituted substances. In some cases, the procedure is performed as a finishing process to prepare components for further finishing operations, such as painting and heat treating; while in other cases, the goal is to remove grease to sustain the performance of parts that accumulations of grease could compromise.

Using nPB for Vapor Degreasing
N propyl bromide (nPB) is a vapor degreasing solution that originally replaced more volatile and dangerous solutions, particularly the halogenated solvents 1,1,1 Trichloroethane (TCA) and Tetrachloroethene (PCE), which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned in commercial and industrial work settings in the early 1990’s, when the green movement was gaining steam. Compared to these solutions, nPB offers several practical benefits, including:

  • More eco friendly profile
  • No flash point
  • Ideal for non-water-based cleaning
  • Prevents oxidation and water spots
  • Produces little if any waste solvent

As advantageous as nPB can be for vapor degreasing applications, its popularity has started to wane due to emerging information about the drawbacks of the solution. More specifically, NPB has been identified as a solvent that contains ingredients that may be carcinogenic in nature, and can potentially cause liver damage. These findings have led many companies to replace nPB non flammable degreasers with ones that have a better profile for human and animal safety.

Finding New Non Flammable Degreasers
In spite of recent evidence that asserts the danger of using non flammable degreasers that contain nPB, many companies continue to use solutions that contain the ingredient. The reasons why are fairly obvious: companies that use the ingredient frequently typically have a large supply of it onsite, switching to a new vapor degreaser brings the challenge of finding a product that performs as well as the old one, and the EPA has yet to firmly regulate the use of nPB.

While these considerations are only understandable, companies are smart to look at the big picture, and replace nPB vapor degreasers with ones that contain non toxic ingredients. Even if nPB remains largely unregulated for the foreseeable future, it may still have a deleterious effect on the health of those who work with the solution, as well as produce negative effects in animals that come into contact with the solution via vapor emissions and other forms of release.

How Ecolink Can Help
If your company uses non flammable degreasers that contain nPB, and you would like to switch to new ones that have a better safety profile, Ecolink can provide you with readymade solutions or custom solutions that meet your needs. Above all, we can provide safer solutions that work just as well as the old ones, if not more so, and offer you the ability to use the new product as a “drop in” replacement that doesn’t require reconfiguring the existing vapor degreasing system.

For more information about obtaining high-efficacy, non flammable degreasers that don’t contain nPB, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact page on our website. We look forward to helping you avoid the drawbacks of using nPB in your strategic vapor degreasing operations!