Simply put, solvents are substances that dissolve other substances. In chemistry, this property of solvents is used to create complex formulations that are made for specific uses.
Although cleaners that contain solvents vary widely in terms of applications and effects, most industrial solvent-based cleaners are made from one of three types of solvents: oxygenated, hydrocarbon, and halogenated. Below, we look at their basic characteristics to help inform your cleaner purchase.
- Oxygenated Solvents
These types of solvents are formulated by extracting key elements from chemicals to create a cleaner that has the desired consistency and effect. More often than not, oxygenated solvents deliver exceptional purity (i.e., 99.0% to 99.9% pure), which supports their efficacy.
Near the end of the production process, oxygenated solvents undergo refinement that removes infinitesimal particulates, excess water, and other elements that would compromise the cleaner’s power and/or safety. Because the impurities can be predicted by the chemical process used to create the solvents, they can be produced quickly, which contributes to their affordable price.
The major types of oxygenated solvents are alcohol, glycol ethers, ketones, esters, and glycol ether esters.
- Halogenated Solvents
These types of solvents undergo a chlorination process that gives them similar qualities, especially in terms of aroma, distillation range, flash point, and density. Many halogenated formulations also share the same color. One of the primary differences among this class of solvents is the volume of liquid dissolved to create the desired formulation.
For users, one of the most immediately notable distinctions between halogenated and hydrocarbon solvents is that the former commonly have a highly pungent aroma. Regardless of formulation, halogenated solvents consist of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
- Hydrocarbon Solvents
These types of solvents are known for their complex composition, especially compared to oxygenated solvents. In addition, unlike halogenated solvents, hydrocarbon solvents tend to differ significantly in terms of aroma, distillation range, flash point, and density.
Because they vary widely in the elements they contain, halogenated solvents are commonly created as custom solvents, which are formulated to match the needs of a narrow range of users or a single user. There are two main types of hydrocarbon solvents: aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Choosing Solvent Cleaners
Unless you have a formidable knowledge of the chemistry behind solvent cleaners, selecting solvent cleaners based on the solvent they contain can be difficult. For most users, the optimal way to select a cleaner is to consult a manufacturer of stock solvents and custom solvents.
Contact Ecolink Today
Ecolink is an experienced provider of environmentally safe and environmentally preferred industrial cleaners. We focus on making solvents that are safer for humans and the environment than previous generations of industrial cleaners. When you get a cleaner from us, you’re virtually guaranteed to never need a replacement due to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
To inquire about our products and services, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you identify the right types of solvents for industrial cleaning!
Industrial Cleaning 101: What are the Types of Solvents?
/in Solvents/by Industrial DegreasersSimply put, solvents are substances that dissolve other substances. In chemistry, this property of solvents is used to create complex formulations that are made for specific uses.
Although cleaners that contain solvents vary widely in terms of applications and effects, most industrial solvent-based cleaners are made from one of three types of solvents: oxygenated, hydrocarbon, and halogenated. Below, we look at their basic characteristics to help inform your cleaner purchase.
These types of solvents are formulated by extracting key elements from chemicals to create a cleaner that has the desired consistency and effect. More often than not, oxygenated solvents deliver exceptional purity (i.e., 99.0% to 99.9% pure), which supports their efficacy.
Near the end of the production process, oxygenated solvents undergo refinement that removes infinitesimal particulates, excess water, and other elements that would compromise the cleaner’s power and/or safety. Because the impurities can be predicted by the chemical process used to create the solvents, they can be produced quickly, which contributes to their affordable price.
The major types of oxygenated solvents are alcohol, glycol ethers, ketones, esters, and glycol ether esters.
These types of solvents undergo a chlorination process that gives them similar qualities, especially in terms of aroma, distillation range, flash point, and density. Many halogenated formulations also share the same color. One of the primary differences among this class of solvents is the volume of liquid dissolved to create the desired formulation.
For users, one of the most immediately notable distinctions between halogenated and hydrocarbon solvents is that the former commonly have a highly pungent aroma. Regardless of formulation, halogenated solvents consist of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
These types of solvents are known for their complex composition, especially compared to oxygenated solvents. In addition, unlike halogenated solvents, hydrocarbon solvents tend to differ significantly in terms of aroma, distillation range, flash point, and density.
Because they vary widely in the elements they contain, halogenated solvents are commonly created as custom solvents, which are formulated to match the needs of a narrow range of users or a single user. There are two main types of hydrocarbon solvents: aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Choosing Solvent Cleaners
Unless you have a formidable knowledge of the chemistry behind solvent cleaners, selecting solvent cleaners based on the solvent they contain can be difficult. For most users, the optimal way to select a cleaner is to consult a manufacturer of stock solvents and custom solvents.
Contact Ecolink Today
Ecolink is an experienced provider of environmentally safe and environmentally preferred industrial cleaners. We focus on making solvents that are safer for humans and the environment than previous generations of industrial cleaners. When you get a cleaner from us, you’re virtually guaranteed to never need a replacement due to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
To inquire about our products and services, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you identify the right types of solvents for industrial cleaning!
Degreasers for Parts Cleaners: An Option for Degreaser Recycling
/in Degreasing Agents/by Industrial DegreasersIt seems like almost anything can be recycled these days: tires, gasoline, motor oil, cotton fibers, degreaser, and the list goes on. If there’s one item in the list that many people don’t think of as recyclable, it’s degreaser, much less a specific class of degreasers, such as degreasers for parts cleaners.
Tank and Open Air
Among industrial users, degreasers fall into two general categories: degreasers that are applied in open air and degreasers used in parts washers. Both types of degreasers can be recycled, but the recycling process for each is markedly different.
A waste removal company removes spent open air degreaser from the waste trap. After degreaser is removed from the trap, it may or may not be recycled. As eco-friendliness goes, the best users can do is choose a waste removal company whose platform includes solvent recycling. Recycling degreasers for parts cleaners can be done with more ease.
Recycling Tank Degreasers
As their makeshift name suggests, tank degreasers are solvent placed in the solvent basin of parts washing systems. Both the type of parts washing system you have and the degreaser you use make it possible or highly impractical to recycle degreasers for parts cleaners.
When it comes to solvent recycling, many industrial degreasers users prefer to recycle them within a parts cleaning system, where the solvents are purified and prepared for another round of cleaning, and then subsequent rounds of cleaning.
This process is used within the context of vapor degreasing — a process in which spent solvent condenses in a special part of the machine, is purified of soils, and then returns to the solvent basin, where it was manually placed before the first batch of parts were cleaned.
Using a parts cleaning system that facilitates vapor degreasing is one way to recycle degreasers for parts cleaners. If you don’t have a parts washer that supports vapor degreasing and recycling waste solvent, making the investment could big-time cost saver in the long run in two ways: It could reduce your solvent cost and mitigate your chemical waste disposal bill.
Degreaser Recycling Limits
Part of the establishing the cost saving value of recycling degreasers for parts cleaners is determined by the number of times the solvents can be recycled within the system. The exact number of times depends on your parts washing system and the degreaser you use.
If in doubt about how many times you can recycle a degreaser, consult the owner’s instructions. If you’re still left with questions, contact the dedicated team of chemists at Ecolink.
Contact Ecolink Today
If you need help selecting a parts washing system and a vapor degreaser to support degreaser recycling, the green solvent specialists at Ecolink are here to help. We provide environmentally friendly and environmentally safe solvent solutions, including degreaser. In addition to supplying stock products, we produce custom formulations for the needs of specific users.
With our products, you will never have to worry about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banning or regulating your degreaser or other cleaners. For more information about our products and services, call us today at 800-563-1305, or reach us through our contact form. We look forward to assisting you!
Selecting a Military Grade Gun Cleaner Solvent
/in Military Cleaners/by Industrial DegreasersFirearms differ in several ways, from their style of construction, to legalities surrounding them, to the manner in which they’re cleaned and prepared for action. When it comes to cleaning guns, the type of solvent you use depends on three main factors, not including unique requirements for cleaning a specific type of gun — requirements that may be found in the owner’s manual.
? Metals and other materials that comprise the weapons
? How firearms are used regarding the soils they collect
? Conditions under which guns are made to perform
Along with information in the owner’s manual, this three-point checklist can be quite helpful for selecting a military grade gun cleaner solvent. Because military grade gun cleaner solvent isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, let’s look at the factors above in terms of the gun cleaning application.
1. Metals and Other Materials That Comprise the Weapon
Many of today’s military firearms are comprised of several materials. One or more types of metal, wood, rubber, and synthetic composites are commonly found on a rifle’s upper and lower receivers — and a composite sometimes creates the body of the gun.
If you’re cleaning a gun that contains multiple materials, you need a military gun cleaning solvent that cleans them without degrading the materials and potentially affecting the performance of the firearm. Ordering a custom solvent is an easy way to ensure the solvent’s formulation is powerful yet safe for cleaning the firearm’s components.
2. How the firearm is used regarding the soils it collects
Some guns aren’t meant to be used in adverse conditions. For example, sniper rifles are precision firearms that usually don’t fire many rounds in a short period of time, and they are often fired from a high perch, far away from the git and grime of ground operations.
Consequently, there often aren’t many soils to remove. However, the gun needs to have old gun oil replaced new oil to keep the gun in good firing order.
3. Conditions under which guns are made to perform reliably
Some guns are the opposite of sensitive, long-range rifles regarding the conditions they’re designed to perform under with great reliably. For example, some assault rifle (AR) models are designed for wet, rugged, forest conditions. You can literally throw them in water or mud, retrieve them, and then start firing again, as before.
These guns often have extra room between parts, so soils that collect on the gears don’t affect the firing function. You may want to clean the gun to a pristine condition, but precision cleaning rough-and-tumble ARs may not be as crucial as precision cleaning a sensitive, long-range rifle.
We Support the Military
Deciding to joined the armed forces is a courageous, life-changing decision — one that often involves using firearms and cleaning them with military grade gun cleaning solvent. If you need solvents that are specially formulated for cleaning military guns, contact Ecolink. We offer eco friendly, military grade gun cleaner solvent that delivers best-in-class results.
To order or request more information about our military grade gun cleaner solvent, please call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to supporting the firearms cleaning needs of your organization!
Facility Safety: Using a Non Flammable Parts Washer Solution
/in Parts Washer/by Industrial DegreasersSelf-operating parts washers are often the only option industrial outfits have for cleaning parts within the time frame they need to be cleaned.
By extension, the only solvent option for cleaning the parts in the washer is a parts washer solvent, which can be flammable or inflammable, as well as possess a variety of other specs that make the solvent a good or bad option for the cleaning operation in question. Here, we explain why it’s preferable to use a non flammable parts washer solution.
Parts Washers and Solvent Ignition
A properly operating parts washer won’t ignite solvent used for the wash cycle. The machine’s equipment housing and washing chamber that is sealed during operation prevent combustion. Outside of the parts washer is where the real concern exists, particularly regarding the solvent storage area.
Most industrial outfits have enough space to store flammable solvents away from potential sources of ignition and combustibles that would feed the flames if the solvent happened to ignite. However, fires start in places besides the solvent storage area. If they reach the storage area, and combustible solvents are stored there, those solvents can be a proverbial powder keg that pushes the fire further out of control.
We often talk about solvent flammability in terms of worker safety on the job floor, focusing on the individual worker. But imagine if your facility experienced a fire that required everyone to evacuate quickly, for fear of losing life and limb. At that point, you’d be beyond dealing with solvent safety, dealing with emergency egress safety — as established by OSHA and the International Building Code (IBC) — instead.
Solvents: Better Safe Than Sorry?
Any facility manager would rather use a non flammable parts washer solution instead of one that combusts. But the primary concern is selecting a parts washing solvent that cleans thoroughly and efficiently. If that means implementing a flammable solution, then that’s what is normally implemented.
However, when they work with Ecolink, industrial outfits do have the option of using a non flammable parts washer solution. We formulate custom solvents for the needs of specific users. If the flammability of your parts washing solvent is a safety concern, we can formulate a solvent that has a high flashpoint or is inflammable, and provide you with a free sample, so you can test the results. If the solvent addresses your requirements, order it in the amount you want, in the type of packaging you want, on the schedule you want. We handle the rest.
Contact Us Today
Ecolink has years of experience providing eco friendly solvents that have the same efficacy — if not more — than toxic solvents they are formulated to replace. In addition to accepting custom orders, we also offer a wide array of stock solutions for general and specific solvent operations.
To explore your options for using a custom non flammable parts washer solution, please contact us today at 800-563-1305, or send us a message through our contact form. We look forward to assisting you!
Cleanroom Parts Cleaning: Tips for Solvent Selection
/in Parts Washer/by Industrial DegreasersCleanrooms are spaces that are kept clean to an infinitesimal degree. More than just well-organized and spotless to the naked eye, they require a level of cleanliness measured “by the number of particles per cubic meter at a specified particle size,” as Wikipedia explains.
In other words, when there’s a smudge on a counter space in a cleanroom, you have to be concerned about ambient particles emitted from the solvent you use to clean the smudge, as well as ambient particles that may be released by the solvent applicator. Cleanroom parts cleaning must pass more than the eye test; it must pass scientific muster, as well.
Solvents for Cleanroom Parts Cleaning
So far, we’ve talked about the cleanliness of cleanrooms and not the cleanliness of parts that are cleaned in the pristine spaces. This is because the cleanness of the parts — more specifically, how the parts are cleaned — is inseparable from the cleanness of the room. With this in mind, below are three basic tips for choosing solvents for cleanroom parts cleaning.
Depending on what the room is used for, particulate matter that’s invisible to the naked eye could compromise the operation. Particulates can settle on surfaces and risk being whisked into the air by objects that contact the surface. This is what a cleanroom is designed to avoid. All particulate matter is undesirable, so a solvent that deposits particulates is of the question.
A solvent for cleanroom parts cleaning should ideally evaporate within a few seconds at most. It should definitely evaporate before it can contact any surface besides the parts that are cleaned. If solvent particles land on surfaces, they can trap airborne particulate matter that the air filtration system hasn’t yet removed. When objects contact the surface where the particles are mired in the dry solvent, they can be whisked into the air.
A solvent that leaves residue has two undesirable effects for cleaning parts in cleanrooms: it leaves residue on the parts that causes them to attract particulates (i.e., soils), and it does the same thing to any surface it contacts in the room.
The parts may stay lodged in the residue instead of becoming airborne, but this isn’t a good thing. It may mean that the residue must be cleaned more vigorously than normal, which could potentially generate airborne particulate matter.
Need Assistance With Selection?
It’s hard to choose a cleanroom parts cleaning solvent without specifying what type(s) of soil you need to remove from parts, as well as what type of cleanroom environment you maintain (pharmaceutical, engineering, chemical, etc.) This is why the solvent selection tips above are fairly general instead of highly specific.
For help selecting a stock or custom formulated solvent for cleaning certain soils from specific parts in a particular type of cleanroom, please call Ecolink today at 1-800-563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to helping you keep your cleanroom pristine!