There are literally thousands of types of solvents available for purchase. However, regardless of the brand name or the proprietary formulation of a solvent, it typically falls into one of three categories of cleaning solvents: oxygenated solvents, hydrocarbon solvents, or halogenated solvents. Below, we present a basic overview for each of these types of solvents to inform your selection of industrial cleaning solvents for your organization’s business-critical cleaning needs. – SHOP SOLVENTS HERE
For additional information about these solvent classes, call Ecolink today at (800) 563-1305.
- Oxygenated Solvents
These types of solvents are produced by distilling components from chemicals to create the right consistency and balance of ingredients for the end product. Oxygenated solvents are known for possessing an exceptionally high rate of purity due to solvent refinement processes — such as the removal of particulate matter and excess water — that occur in the end stages of production. Common examples of oxygenated solvents are alcohols, glycol ethers, and ketones. We can supply a wide rage of oxygenated solvents for a various industrial cleaning operations.
- Hydrocarbon Solvents
These types of solvents contain special hydrocarbons that make them useful for a wide variety of cleaning products, from those that are used for residential cleaning to ones that are used for industrial cleaning operations. Because hydrocarbon solvents are typically created to serve a specific purpose, their formulation is often more complex than the formulation of oxygenated solvents, particularly in terms of solute composition, color, flashpoint, and aromatic quality.
Common examples of hydrocarbon solvents are benzene, petroleum ether, and turpentine.
Some hydrocarbon solvents — particularly benzene — are infamous for emitting hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that cause poor health due to chronic or acute exposure. If you use a toxic hydrocarbon solvent, we can provide a safe replacement that has the same cleaning power.
- Halogenated Solvents
These types of solvents are hydrocarbon solvents that have been subjected to a chlorinating process, which means that they possess some of the same qualities as the parent solvents. However, one significant difference between hydrocarbon and halogenated formulations is that the latter tend to have a more pungent aroma than the former. Halogenated solvents are highly effective. Unfortunately, though, their chlorinated formulation often poses safety risks. Common examples of halogenated solvents are chlorobenzene, dichloromethane, and trichloroethylene.
Some hydrocarbon solvents are known to emit HAPs that cause negative health events due to chronic or acute exposure (trichloroethylene is perhaps the most well-known). If you use a toxic halogenated solvent, we can provide a safe replacement that has the same cleaning power.
Which Types of Solvents Do You Need?
Some organizations use all three types of solvents listed above, while other organizations only use one. If you aren’t sure exactly which type(s) of solvents you need for new cleaning operations, Ecolink is here to help. In addition to selling readymade and custom made industrial grade solvents, we advise our customers on choosing the best solvent options for their unique cleaning requirements. We also provide eco friendly replacements for hazardous solvents.
For assistance selecting the right oxygenated, hydrocarbon, and/or halogenated solvents, or for help identifying replacements, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or complete the contact form located on our website. We look forward to providing you with safe, effective cleaning products!
Safety Solvents: What Defines a Safe Solvent?
/in Solvents/by Industrial DegreasersSince the Clean Air Act of 1990 was passed and the EPA developed its original list of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), an increased focus has been placed on the use of dangerous solvents in industrial and commercial settings, where strong cleaning solutions are frequently dispersed in large amounts to meet the requirements of large scale, business-critical cleaning operations.
What Makes Safety Solvents Safe?
What makes a solvent “safe” to use in one setting can be different than what makes it safe to use in another, with safety precautions such as personal protective equipment (PPE) that workers wear and a ventilation system that traps airborne contaminants in the cleaning environment being determining factors. However, there are certain elements of solvent safety that apply to all situations. Below are four ubiquitous characteristics that define safety solvents.
The flashpoint of a solvent is the temperature at which it ignites. Although solvents that have flashpoints that are high enough to classify them as “inflammable” or have no flashpoint at all are typically used in environments that have prominent ignition sources, their non-flammable formulation can benefit any type of user in terms of safe solvent storage. If a fire breaks out in the solvent storage area, the last thing you want is for flammable solvents to feed the blaze.
Chemicals that are hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are listed in the EPA’s list of hazardous air pollutants. Acute exposure to HAPs can cause temporary conditions such as respiratory distress and blurred vision, and chronic exposure is linked to chronic conditions such as nerve damage and cancer. In addition to the health risks they pose, solvents that contain HAPs are a bad choice because the EPA has often set their acceptable volume of usage at low levels.
Dielectric solvents contain a dielectric substance that functions in the opposite capacity of an electricity conductor: It prevents electrical current from traveling through the solvent stream and injuring the user. Dielectric solvents are commonly used for cleaning energized equipment. However, even if you don’t clean energized equipment, using a dielectric solvent is a good idea for at least one reason: It can prevent injury due to accidental dispersal near electricity sources.
As long as it is properly secured in a solvent waste trap, hazardous solvent waste should pose a minimal threat to workers in the environment where the trap is located. However, depending on how the waste is removed, it could release small amounts of HPAs that, over time, could have a stronger effect due to cumulative emissions. The goal is to prevent toxic emissions altogether.
Contact Ecolink for Safety Solvents
If your company or organization uses solvents that lack the characteristics above, now is a good time to replace them with safety solvents that deliver the same cleaning power but don’t pose serious health risks to humans or pollute the environment. Ecolink supplies these types of solvents in the form of readymade products and custom formulations. For assistance choosing replacements for unsafe solvents, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form.
How to Identify Safe Solvents for Your Cleaning Operations
/in Solvents/by Industrial DegreasersAt a time when companies and organizations carefully considering operating costs in light of the recent recession, and the EPA continues to add chemicals to its list of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), emphasis on choosing safe solvents is more profound than ever before. What are safe solvents? It depends on their formulation, as well as how and where they are used. With this in mind, we present four considerations for identifying safe solvents for your cleaning operations.
When it comes to human safety, using solvents that contain HAPs has two drawbacks: Acute exposure can lead to short-lived, negative health conditions such as upset stomach and dizziness, and chronic exposure can lead to chronic conditions such as brain damage and cancer. In all cases, safe solvents are ones that contain an exceptionally low level or no level of HAP emission. For a list of HAPs, see the EPA’s most recent list of hazardous air pollutants.
Choosing solvents that have no flashpoint is the safest option, as these solvents remain inflammable under all conditions. However, if using a cleaner with no flashpoint is not an option, using a solvent that has an exceptionally high flashpoint (e.g., a flashpoint that classifies the cleaner as inflammable) is the best alternative. Cleaning solvents that have low flashpoints have been responsible for countless fires that destroyed equipment and seriously injured workers.
Using solvents for uses other than their intended ones continues to be a primary way in which solvents are used unsafely. For example, using a water-based, non-dielectric cleaner for cleaning energized equipment could cause the worker who applies the solution to be severely shocked, as a strong electrical current travels from the equipment through the solvent stream. In all cases, be sure to only use a cleaning solvent for the application(s) for which it is formulated.
Safe solvents are also defined based on conditions in the work environment where they are applied. For example, if you use a solvent that contains measurable amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), using it in an environment that has a ventilation system for removing VOC vapors, and where workers wear high-level personal protective equipment (PPE), would almost certainly be safer than using the cleaner in an environment that lacks these safety precautions.
Let Us Supply Your Safe Solvents
Using safe solvents for your cleaning needs is a key to eliminating negative health effects in workers that use the cleaners, avoiding EPA fines for overusing hazardous solvents, and preventing damage to equipment that is cleaned. If you need assistance identifying safe solvents for your company or organization’s cleaning operations, Ecolink is here to help. We provide a wide range safe solvents and can also produce custom products for special needs.
Call us today at (800) 563-1305 and let us apply our expertise in solvents to your unique set of cleaning needs. We look forward to supplying you with solvents that are truly safe to use in your work environment!
Solvent Disposal: The Financial Benefits of Solvent Recycling
/in Recycling/by Industrial DegreasersEach year, companies and organizations that use solvent cleaners to perform business-critical cleaning operations produce countless tons of waste solvent. Many of these solvent users dispose of waste solvent in the traditional way: By having it removed and hauled away by a waste solvent disposal company that specializes in taking waste solvent out of circulation.
However, there is another, more cost effective option solvent users can choose: Have waste solvent removed by a company that specializes in solvent recycling — a process that removes solute that pollutes waste solvents by applying distillation and fractionation technologies. Choosing this option over traditional waste removal can have important financial benefits.
Supports “Green” Business
In the age of environmental awareness, a company’s reputation with customers and business partners is partly shaped by the eco friendliness of its business practices. Disposing of waste through solvent recycling benefits a company’s image by making it appear “greener” in the eyes of customers and associates. Today, many people prefer to do business with companies that help to protect the environment, and solvent recycling helps your company do exactly that.
Recycling waste solvent is typically a more cost effective option than permanent disposal because the costs associated with the latter practice are eliminated for the recycler. This means that the recycler can pass on the savings and charge you less for “disposing” of your waste solvent. If you use a large volume of cleaning solvent annually, chances are that your waste disposal bill is relatively robust. Reduce the cost by participating in waste solvent recycling.
Solvent disposal that focuses on recycling helps reduce chemical emissions in two main ways. First, unlike some permanent solvent disposal procedures, solvent recycling typically involves a low level of emissions. Second, because recycled waste solvent can be reused, the burden on solvent manufacturers to produce more solvent is inherently reduced. The lower the volume of solvents that are produced, the lower the volume of emissions that result from producing them.
Because solvent recycling is a valuable environmental practice as much as it is a profitable business practice, waste solvent recyclers take great care to remove cleaner from waste traps in a manner that lets no dangerous vapors escape. Because waste solvent is removed on a regular basis, workers can be consistently exposed to vapors that escape from the accessed waste trap. Eliminating the exposure helps to reduce negative health conditions in workers.
Having waste solvent recycled and “purified” to its original form allows companies to reuse the solvent instead of continually acquiring new solvent. You have already paid for the solvent in your waste trap. Why pay for it again in the form of a new product when you can pay less to recycle and reuse the solvent, with the cleaner delivering the same efficacy as before?
Not surprisingly, solvent disposal recycling helps many companies save thousands a year.
Contact Us to Learn More
For more information about the benefits of performing solvent disposal in the form solvent recycling, contact the solvent experts at Ecolink. We support the solvent recycling process and are happy to answer any questions you may have about recycling your particular solvents. We can also provide you with information about which solvents are easiest to recycle in terms of cost and the duration of the recycling process. Give us a call today at (800) 563-1305.
Three Types of Solvents: Oxygenated, Hydrocarbon, and Halogenated
/in Solvents/by Industrial DegreasersFor additional information about these solvent classes, call Ecolink today at (800) 563-1305.
These types of solvents are produced by distilling components from chemicals to create the right consistency and balance of ingredients for the end product. Oxygenated solvents are known for possessing an exceptionally high rate of purity due to solvent refinement processes — such as the removal of particulate matter and excess water — that occur in the end stages of production. Common examples of oxygenated solvents are alcohols, glycol ethers, and ketones. We can supply a wide rage of oxygenated solvents for a various industrial cleaning operations.
These types of solvents contain special hydrocarbons that make them useful for a wide variety of cleaning products, from those that are used for residential cleaning to ones that are used for industrial cleaning operations. Because hydrocarbon solvents are typically created to serve a specific purpose, their formulation is often more complex than the formulation of oxygenated solvents, particularly in terms of solute composition, color, flashpoint, and aromatic quality.
Common examples of hydrocarbon solvents are benzene, petroleum ether, and turpentine.
Some hydrocarbon solvents — particularly benzene — are infamous for emitting hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that cause poor health due to chronic or acute exposure. If you use a toxic hydrocarbon solvent, we can provide a safe replacement that has the same cleaning power.
These types of solvents are hydrocarbon solvents that have been subjected to a chlorinating process, which means that they possess some of the same qualities as the parent solvents. However, one significant difference between hydrocarbon and halogenated formulations is that the latter tend to have a more pungent aroma than the former. Halogenated solvents are highly effective. Unfortunately, though, their chlorinated formulation often poses safety risks. Common examples of halogenated solvents are chlorobenzene, dichloromethane, and trichloroethylene.
Some hydrocarbon solvents are known to emit HAPs that cause negative health events due to chronic or acute exposure (trichloroethylene is perhaps the most well-known). If you use a toxic halogenated solvent, we can provide a safe replacement that has the same cleaning power.
Which Types of Solvents Do You Need?
Some organizations use all three types of solvents listed above, while other organizations only use one. If you aren’t sure exactly which type(s) of solvents you need for new cleaning operations, Ecolink is here to help. In addition to selling readymade and custom made industrial grade solvents, we advise our customers on choosing the best solvent options for their unique cleaning requirements. We also provide eco friendly replacements for hazardous solvents.
For assistance selecting the right oxygenated, hydrocarbon, and/or halogenated solvents, or for help identifying replacements, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or complete the contact form located on our website. We look forward to providing you with safe, effective cleaning products!
Reusing Solvents: How is It Done and What Are the Benefits?
/in Recycling/by Industrial DegreasersRecycling
Recycling services are in high demand in almost every industry that produces recyclable waste products, including the industrial cleaning industry, which produces a large volume of waste solvent each year, much of which can be recycled with the assistance of a solvent recycler. Recycling solvents removes the impurities they acquire through the cleaning process. What emerges are “pure” solvents that are ready to be reused. Below is how the process works.
The Solvent Recycling Process
Solvent recycling begins with a solvent recycling company removing spent solvent from the solvent waste trap. During the extraction process, special measures are taken to prevent harmful vapors such as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from entering the work environment or atmosphere. Once the recycler has removed all waste solvent, it securely transports the cleaner back to the solvent recycling location to begin the process of purifying the tainted solution.
Once at the recycling facility, waste solvent is placed in a machine that removes impurities from the formulation. As the machine works, it separates solute from solvent through a process of distillation and/or fractionation. With distillation, the solvent is separated from the solute that pollutes it by vaporizing the solvent, and then cooling it until it returns to liquid form. During vaporization, the solute separates from the solvent, making it clean and ready to reuse.
With fractionation, the waste solvent is forced through small tubes in a process where it is treated at different temperatures to cause separation of solvent and solute. The result is the same as with distillation: The solvent is purified to its original state and is ready for reapplication.
Five Benefits for Solvent Users
Regardless of the process performed for reusing solvents, the solvent user stands to benefit in several important ways, particularly when the process is applied to all waste solvent produced.
If your company or organization doesn’t participate in the process of reusing solvents, now is a good time to start. In many cases, the only change companies must make is to switch to a waste solvent disposal company that supports the process of reusing solvents. You may have to form a new service agreement with a different disposal company, but the long-term return on investment (ROI) can be quite good when all of the financial benefits are put in perspective.
Need Guidance on Reusing Solvents?
Ecolink recognizes that solvent recycling can benefit our customers in several ways that ultimately increase the bottom line. That is why we support the solvent recycling process and provide advice to our customers in this area. For questions about reusing solvents, call us today at (800) 563-1305. We look forward to helping you put your waste solvent to better use!