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Vertec Biosolvents Press Releases! |
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Agrochemical Based Biodegradable Solvent Performance Ethyl Lactate & Soy Methyl Ester |
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Articles |
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CLEAN-TECH PAPER Agrochemicals are chemicals derived through the processing of agricultural crops. One agrochemical example is ethyl lactate, derived from the processing of corn starch. Another example is methyl soyate, from the esterification of soybean oil. These are the two primary agrochemicals we will discuss. We will cover the technical and performance characteristics of these two solvents along with the environmental, health and safety data. What is ethyl lactate? The ester of natural (L+) lactic acid (a natural organic acid) produced by fermentation from corn derived feedstock. It is produced by fermenting corn starch and neutralizing the acid as soon as formed with calcium or zinc carbonate. Lactic Acid is commonly used in cultured dairy products, salts, adhesives, general purpose food additive, cosmetic products and the manufacture of lactates. Ethyl lactate is a clear liquid with a natural distinctive odor. Lactate ester solvents have found industrial applications in specialty coatings, inks, cleaners and straight use cleaning because of their high performance and versatility. They each have excellent safety and environmental records due to their organic origins. Samples of the solvent will be available along with performance data from a variety of test environments. A copy of the solvent performance project just completed at Argonne National Labs(ANL)will be available to all attendees. The pilot project report is titled "Evaluation of Environmentally Benign Green Solvent Ethyl Lactate for Machine Shop Parts Cleaning and Degreasing". Report will include: solvent test facilities, test equipment, test procedures, results, and project conclusions. This presentation will include a brief history of ethyl lactate as a cleaning solvent and illustrate the properties and capabilities. Ethyl lactate is well suited for a variety of solvent replacement applications, including replacement of dangerous toxic halogenated hydrocarbons. It can be used at pure strength or diluted with water at time of use. Solvents can be removed by wiping with a dry cloth, drip dry, or with a water rinse. High purity ethyl lactate solvents offer health and safety advantages with many performance benefits over traditional chemistry. The benefits of ethyl lactate include: 100% Biodegradable- it breaks down into Carbon Dioxide and water The product specifications are: What is methyl soyate? Methyl soyate is also known as fatty acid methyl esters, soybean oil methyl esters and soy methyl ester. It is made by the esterification of soybean oil. Soy oil is heated and reacted with methanol in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction causes the separation of soy oil into methyl ester and glycerine. Following the separation, the glycerine goes to storage where it will eventually be shipped to processors utilizing it in cosmetics and health aids. The methyl ester goes through a water-wash process, water adheres to any impurities, causing the impurities to be filtered from the methyl ester. The methyl ester is then dried through a vacuum drying system. The uses for methyl soyate include printing ink removal, paint stripping, metal degreasing, oil spill clean-up and resin removal. Numerous consumer products also are based on methyl soyate including hand cleaners, body lotions, car waxes and safe household cleaners. Samples of the solvent will be available along with performance data from a variety of test environments. A copy of the solvent performance project just completed at Argonne National Labs(ANL)will be available to all attendees. The second ANL research project is titled "Evaluation of Ethyl Lactate and Soy Methyl Ester as Co-Solvents in Parts Cleaning and Degreasing". This report will include: performance comparison to previous solvent, equipment compatibility, paint stripping performance. Also, a wide range of technical data from both research projects will be covered including: technical performance data, worker health and safety data, air quality readings, worker perceptions, solvent life cycle, co-solvency characteristics, and solvent distillation recovery options. A brief history of methyl soyate will be discussed along with feed stock facts. Current soybean production in the United States is over 2 billion bushels. Each bushel can be crushed to yield over 10 pounds of soybean oil. Once the oil is refined, methyl soyate can be made by reacting it with methanol in the presence of a catalyst. Manufacturing capacity for methyl soyate is well established and has grown over the past five years primarily to meet expected diesel fuel demand. The benefits of methyl soyate include: The product specifications are: In the early 1990¹s a research project, funded by the United Soybean Board, tested methyl soyate for cleaning oil spilled on a beach in Puerto Rico. This test was monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard and proved successful. On November 9, 1997 the West Coast Regional Response Team issued an approval to use soy-based remediation to clean-up a small oil spill in The presenters are co-inventors of a ethyl lactate/methyl soyate cleaning solvent. The combination of ethyl lactate and methyl soyate shows great promise. This patent pending formulation can be used in many industrial cleaning applications. We will demonstrate how some of the short comings of these solvents when used individually are eliminated when they are combined. |
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