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Vapour degreasant alternatives

My company uses Triklone® vapour degreasing plant for pre paint preparation of our product. In the interests of health and safety we are looking for a safer alternative vapour degreasant. Can anyone suggest such an alternative?

Matt Holzer
- Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
2002

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First of two simultaneous responses --

Several companies offer proprietary blends based on n-propyl bromide as a solvent replacement. It is very expensive, but to my knowledge it is a pretty direct replacement.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2002

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Second of two simultaneous responses --

Triklone® is a trade mark for trichloroethylene and is widely used in the UK as a solvent cleaner. As with all chlorinated solvents in Europe there is a significant trend away from their use, as they are considered environmentally unhealthy. There are numerous substitutes for such materials, including brominated hydrocarbons and aqueous systems, but they all have drawbacks of various types. Finding a substitute for triklone will depend on the types of material you are cleaning and will require considerations, such as will the workpiece withstand contact with the solvent, will the workpiece withstand the operating temperature, can ultrasonics be used on the workpiece etc etc. Finding a new degreasing system can also result in requiring new equipment. I would suggest talking to your solvent supplier and tell him all the details of your processes and workpieces.

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2002

 Ed. note: TRIKLONE is a trade mark of INEOS Chlor Limited, Runcorn, UK.

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Hi,

Is there any developments in finding true alternatives to trike. What are the health safety measures we need to take while using n-propyl bromide? The supplier quoted a max limit of 100 ppm. Is it safe to work under this limit. ?

Jagathees Chandran
- Kuwait
August 8, 2009