Isn't Aqueous Cleaning Better for the Environment?

There is a perception that solvent cleaning is environmentally unacceptable and water cleaning is "green." That's simply not true, and to say "water is better" is to over-simplify a very complex issue. In fact, in most instances, Bromothane™ solvents are a better choice environmentally because the products are "environmentally balanced." Let's look at the details:

• Safe for Ground Water: Solvents like Bromothane™ should always be disposed properly; they must never be dumped onto the ground or into rivers. You must dispose of the waste through approved hazmat disposal processes. Sounds epensive and bad, right?

  Well, aqueous cleaning systems have exactly the same problem. Once water is mixed with cleaning additives, oils, fluxes or other contamination, it too must be treated before disposal. But there is one crucial difference: Bromothane™ is easily recycled and distilled inside the same machine that does the cleaning; it's an inherent part of the process. In contrast, water cleaning machines need complex additional filtration and treatment systems which must operate continuously and expensively.

• Renewable Resources: Aqueous cleaning systems need a lot of water (which is becoming scarce in some areas) and a lot of electricity (which is expensive). It takes a lot of floor space and technology to keep even a small aqueous system running. In contrast, Bromothane™ systems are simple. The use no water at all, and some smaller Bromothane™ systems can run on household electricity. Even the big systems using only a tiny fraction of the energy of aqueous systems. The simplicity and elegance of the Bromothane™ systems are a real technical "tour de force" with which water systems simply cannot compete.

• Ozone-Safe: While it is true that old-style solvents depleted the ozone-layer, that is an old story and not applicable to today's technology. Brominated solvents contain no chlorine, so they do very little harm to the stratospheric ozone. This is generally considered a good thing. But the environmental story no longer ends with the ozone layer.

• Global Warming : Bromothane™ also is low in global warming potential or "GWP." This number is an index the scientists have computed which attempts to show the impact the chemical might have on global warming. Just as in golf, a low GWP rating is better.

  There are a few chemicals with GWP ratings of 200-500. The Bromothane™ products generally rate between 300 and 500. Some chemicals, such as the perfluorocarbons from 3M Corp., rate in the tens of thousands. In short, since the Bromothane™ products disintegrate in the atmosphere in just a few eleven days they are considered to have a low, although not zero, global warming potential.

• Smog from Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): It turns out that almost all of the chemicals that are not global warmers have short atmospheric lifetimes (measured in weeks or months). These are called volatile organic compounds or "VOCs". This category of cleaners includes includes alcohols, ketones, hydrocarbons and many other classes of chemicals. Almost without exception these products are photochemically reactive. This means they contribute to ground-level air pollution (politely called "smog"). The Bromothane™ solvents have  relatively higher VOC ratings -- which is why they are not favored by the strident environmentalists in Southern California. Nothing's perfect.

  (Special Note: There is one class of compounds which is ozone-safe, has a very low GWP, a low VOC rating, and doesn't require a lot of treatment to protect our soil and water. These products are called "siloxanes" and they are made by Dow Corning. They're great solvents and are available exclusively from MicroCare. However, they are flammable and can't be used in as many applications as the Bromothane™ products.)

As a side note, let's not forget that aqueous systems contribute extensively to global warming. Aqueous systems use vast quantities of electricity, most of which is generated by the burning of fossil fuels. This is a major drawback of aqueous systems.

In short, Bromothane™ products are an optimal combination of environmental characteristics: almost perfectly ozone-safe, low GWP, no water usage, very little hazardous waste, and low energy consumption. That's why we call Bromothane™ products "environmentally balanced."  

Updated: Jan 5, 2004
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