Reasons to Start Searching for Acetone Alternatives

Reasons to Start Searching for Acetone Alternatives

Acetone (a.k.a., propanone) is an organic compound that is a colorless, volatile, flammable liquid. Acetone was first formulated in the Middle Ages. Since then, it has gone on to be used in a variety of industrial and residential applications. There was a time when it seemed like almost every maintenance department and handyman’s garage contained a drum of acetone.

However, cetone, although still quite popular among businesses and consumers as a general cleaner, has fallen out of favor with many users due to the reasons below. If you use acetone, these are reasons to start searching for acetone alternatives that exhibit a better safety profile.

Negative Health Effects

According to healthline.com, “Acetone poisoning can occur when there’s an abnormally high amount of ketones [in the body]. This is a condition known as “ketoacidosis.” Metabolic diseases, such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes, can result in ketoacidosis if glucose levels aren’t properly managed.” Signs and symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include: nausea and vomiting,

Abdominal pain, weakness or fatigue, shortness of breath, and marked confusion.

Highly Flammable Formulation

Acetone has a low flashpoint of ?20 °C (?4 °F). This means that the cleaner should be used in environments that few if any ignition sources, and it should be stored in an environment where sparks, flames and unexpected arc flashes are absent or strategically prevented from contacting containers of acetone. Damage from a fire that acetone causes in a facility can be corrected. The same isn’t always true for workers who receive serious burns from the volatile compound.

State Reporting Requirements

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t consider acetone to be a hazardous air pollutant (HAP). There’s no guarantee it won’t happen in the future. But, for now, there’s not an unavoidable legal reason to phase out the popular cleaner. However, certain states, such as Ohio, have reporting requirements for the use of acetone. Be sure to read your state’s literature on the use of acetone, especially before you deploy it in large quantities.

Federal Reporting Requirements 

The compound is not considered a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), but other organizations have established reporting requirements for cetone use, including: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). For some companies and organizations, the bothersome reporting requirements are motivation enough to start searching for acetone alternatives. 

Searching for Acetone Alternatives?

If so, Ecolink has a wide range of cleaning solutions that deliver the same efficacy as acetone but lack some of the compound’s most undesirable qualities, such as a low flashpoint, potential to cause health problems due to exposure, and few, if any, regulated reporting requirements.

To get started on evaluating drop-in acetone alternatives, give us a call today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to providing you with an environmentally preferred cleaner in the form of a stock solvent or a custom formulation that’s tailored to your cleaning operations. Visit us today to find out more!

 

 

Anaheim or Bust! – The Final Results!

Thank you all for participating and we truly appreciate all of your contributions to make this contest a reality. You truly made our 25th anniversary one to remember and to set the tone for our next 25 years. Congratulations to all.

 

1st Place & Grand Prize Winner: Sequoyah High School!!!

sequoyah

 

You are our Grand Prize Winner!! You’ve earned your chapter $4,000.

Take a look at your report card highlights:

YouTube: 11 high-quality videos totaling nearly 7.5 minutes- bonus points for drone use! Talk about ending in YouTube week in style. Your videos received 540 combined views & 126 likes!

LinkedIn: 3 Blogs promoting the contest, Ecolink and your work. Networking at it’s finest!

Page Analytics: Your school generated the most page views and were the 6th most trafficked page on our whole site! You also boasted the highest time on page of any school over the course of the contest.


2nd Place Winner: Kell High School!

kell-longhorns

As runner-up, you’ve earned your program $2,000!

Here are your Report Card Highlights:

YouTube: 25 total videos totaling over 1600 views & 11 minutes!! One video managed to generate 1500 views on it’s own – very impressive reach.

Twitter: You fully embraced our story theme in week 3 and contributed more green stories than the rest of our contestants combined!

Your school boasted the highest raw point total of any contestant and were top 3 in most of our page metrics. You were in it to the end and we thank you for you A+ effort.

 


3rd Place Winner: Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe! Congrats!

 

lakeview-fort-oglethorpe-warriors

If slow and steady doesn’t win you the race- it will at least get you in the top 3! LFO was a weekly winner 5 weeks in a row! You consistently contributed on our featured platforms and after weighing your raw points – surged ahead to a 3rd place finish. Congrats on earning your program $500!

Check out your report card:

YouTube: 6 videos with a combined 119 views. We were very impressed to see your program put in the effort on a weekend to produce your final videos.

Weekly winner – 5 weeks in a row! Participation counts and you earned a large participation bonus by being active on all of our featured platforms.

Page Metrics: Of the page metrics we measured, you scored second overall which added serious points to your final raw total!

 


Honorable mentions go to Brookwood for most photos + facebook activity & North Forsyth for embracing our LinkedIn connection challenge!

 

*Below you will find your school’s weighted point differential, which we arrived at by taking your raw point total (consisting of page analytics such as page shares, views & sessions as well as your off-page activity such as pictures and video) and averaging by the number of students in your programs.

 

 

Final Ranking School Raw Point Total Weighted Total*
1 Sequoyah 2841 47.35
2 Kell 4109 43.71
3 Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe 2290.5 30.54
4 Tift 385 29.61
5 Brookwood 2,344.5 18.03
6 Habersham 540.5 10.81
7 North Forsyth 811 6.14
8 South Gwinnett 424 6.06
9 Veterans 309  5.06
10  Kennesaw Mountain  206  4.12
11  Hutchings Career Center 29  2.63
12  Woodstock  200  2.63
13  Northside  39  2.6
14  North Murray 39  1.22
15  Chapel Hill  44 0.34
16  Houston  41  0.34

 

Again, thank you all for participating and making this such a memorable 25 year anniversary.

 

Please let us know if you have any questions about how we arrived at these totals and we will be more than happy to reconcile our scoring.

Using Aqueous Parts Washer Fluids for Sustainable Chemical Management

As the green movement proliferates, “sustainability” becomes an increasingly important concept among environmentalists — a concept that has a trickle down effect, and is now a significant concern among industrialists worldwide. After all, their companies often have the power to make or break nearby ecosystems based on the type of chemical solvents their facilities use, how they use them, and the method of solvent disposal.

That’s why we’re spotlighting the discipline of sustainable chemical management in terms of using aqueous parts washer fluids, which largely focuses on sustaining chemicals for reuse. Having a professional chemical recycler recycle cleaning solvents is an environmentally prefered option, but on-site preparation of chemicals for reuse is the optimal choice for two reasons: It can reduce the frequency of solvent purchases, and it helps mitigate waste disposal expense by sending less liquid into the waste trap.

How Parts Washing Systems Help

An industrial chemical user could purchase chemical recycling equipment that professional chemical recyclers use, but such a move wouldn’t be cost effective, unless one the user’s core practices is industrial chemical recycling. However, while formally recycling chemicals may not be a part of the business equation, cleaning parts using parts washing systems often is — and some parts washing systems are designed to recycle solvents.

Apart from seeing them operate firsthand, one of the best ways to understand the design of parts washers that support aqueous parts washer fluids is to give a description of how the parts washing cycle works. In most cases, parts washing systems that facilitate chemical recycling include the following eight steps in one wash cycle.

  1. Soiled parts are placed on a rack inside the washer.
  2. Solvent is placed in a basin below the rack.
  3. A heating coil in the basin vaporizes the solvent.
  4. Vaporized solvent rises to clean soiled parts.
  5. During cleaning, airtight seals maintain vapor pressure.
  6. A vacuum pulls the used solvent into a cooling zone.
  7. The solvent condenses and collects in a holding unit.
  8. Clean solvent transfers to the solvent basin below the rack.

If promoting sustainable chemical management with a parts washing system sounds simple and hassle-free, that’s because it generally is. The most difficult part is choosing the right parts washing system and selecting solvents whose boiling points easily support the system’s solvent recycling function. If you need assistance evaluating makes and models of parts washing systems, or you need help selecting solvents, the solvent specialists at Ecolink can help.

Contact Us Today

As time goes on, sustainable chemical management using aqueous parts washer fluids will grow in scope and importance. To get started on supporting the discipline by using a parts washer that recycles solvents, give us a call today at (800) 563-1305, or use the contact form on our website.

Ecolink has a rich history of formulating stock solvents and custom solvents that are environmentally preferred and environmentally safe, come in a variety forms, and can be used to remove numerous tough substances that non-industrial solvents can’t touch. We look forward to helping you support sustainable chemical management with aqueous parts washer fluids.

 

 

Finding Better Industrial Chemicals: What Makes a Solvent “Better”

Companies and organizations frequently replace old solvents with new ones that are “better” in some way than the solutions they replace. In some cases, better means better for a particular type of parts washing system. In other cases, it means better for dissolving a particular type of accumulation, and the list goes on.

Finding better industrial chemicals obviously depends partly on the needs of a specific customer. But there are also criteria that denote “better” industrial chemicals for practically every type of end user. Below, we list four of the most important of these criteria, and explain why they make a solvent that possesses them more advantageous to use than one that doesn’t.

  1. Low VOC Content

Don’t let the organic origin of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) fool you. Many VOCs are profoundly dangerous to human health and the health of animal life. Some VOCs have more of a risk factor than others, but using solutions that have low VOC content is almost always a safer option than deploying cleaning solutions that have high VOC content.

  1. Low HAP Content

Some VOCs are considered hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), but the environmental protection agency’s HAP list extends beyond VOCs. Practically every kind of HAP causes two types of problems in workers exposed to it, not to mention the environmental toll: temporary ailments due to acute exposure (e.g., difficulty breathing, upset stomach, and dizziness) and permanent maladies that result from chronic exposure (e.g., nerve damage, lung damage, and cancer).

  1. High Flashpoint

As you may already know, the flashpoint of a solvent is the temperature at which it ignites. Situations in which a cleaning solution should ideally have a high flashpoint include: dielectric cleaning, cleaning in environments that have open sources of open flame (e.g., a metal foundry), and cleaning equipment that is exceptionally hot or energized.

There is virtually no situation in which using a solvent that has a high flashpoint is considered disadvantageous. Solvents that have a high flashpoint or no flashpoint also promote fire safety by making it easier to store the solvents. For example, no flashpoint solvent tht has fire retardant packaging may be stored in a space that contains electrical switchboard equipment.

  1. Dielectric Formulation

Some solvent applications don’t require a dielectric solvent, but having a dielectric solvent on hand is always a good idea. If you ever need to clean energized equipment, a cleaner that has a strong dielectric formulation will help you do it safely. Ecolink offers dielectric solvents for a broad array of cleaning tasks and in various formulations regarding dielectric strength.

Who We Are

Ecolink is a provider of environmentally preferred industrial chemicals. This makes us an excellent supply option for stock cleaners and custom cleaners that are better than many traditional cleaners in terms of human health and environmental preservation.

For assistance selecting better industrial chemicals than the ones you use right now, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to helping you choose better cleaners.

Using Parts Washers for Sustainable Chemical Management: FAQ

As sustainable chemical management continues to benefit companies by lowering operating costs through solvent reuse and reducing the chemical toll industrial practices take on the environment, more companies are looking to jump on the sustainable solvent bandwagon. For some, the easiest path to sustainable chemical management is using a parts washing system that performs solvent recycling. About this topic, we present a list of frequently asked questions.

What parts washer should I use for sustainable chemical management?

Step one is to choose a washing system that’s designed to hold your solvent. If you don’t mind implementing a new solvent, then the world is your playground. Choose your favorites equipment brands and models based on what’s most important to the solvent recycling initiatives of your company.

How does a parts washer condenser unit preserve sustainable solvent?

Cutting-edge parts washers use a complex process to get the end result. The best way to understand the role condensation plays in the process is to describe how waste solvent is condensed for solvent recycling purposes:

  • Soiled parts are placed on a rack inside the parts washer
  • Solvent is placed in a basin that is below the rack
  • A heating coil in the basin activates to vaporize the solvent
  • Vaporized solvent rises and contacts soiled parts
  • During the cleaning process, airtight seals maintain vapor pressure
  • A vacuum pulls the used, vaporized solvent into a cooling zone, where it condenses
  • The condensed solvent collects in a holding unit
  • A transfer zone returns the liquid solvent to the solvent basin below the rack

This is the basic method of operation by which a condenser in the parts washing system prepares waste solvent for reuse.

For how many wash cycles can the rejuvenated waste solvent be used?

This is information you need to receive from the solvent manufacturer. If you purchased a recyclable solvent that promotes multiple wash cycles as a benefit, you may be able to find the information on the original solvent container.

Can rejuvenated waste solvent be removed from the basin and repurposed?

Technically, yes. But why would you want to do it? From a price-to-use ratio, the best place for rejuvenated waste solvent is in the solvent basin of the parts washer that condensed it. In other words, you get the best deal when using your solvent with a top-notch parts washer that helps facilitate sustainable chemical management.

Can rejuvenated waste solvent be stored for future cleaning operations?

Technically, yes. But the only foreseeable reason you would do this is to harvest solvent from broken machinery to use later after repairs are made.

Who We Are

Ecolink is a longtime promoter and manufacturer of eco friendly, industrial solvents in the industrial and commercial chemical markets. Our solutions span the globe, helping companies and organizations get the same cleaning power of their old solutions in newer, safer solvents, which are environmentally safe or environmentally preferred. To inquire about our sustainable parts washing solvents, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form.