There are several options available for those looking at green solvents to replace traditional industrial solvents in the workplace. We thought it would be helpful to provide a brief summary highlighting a few of the essential raw materials used in some of our blends. These materials are available as stand alone products or in customized formulations.

Carbonates

Propylene Carbonate: Can be used to replace harsher solvents such as methylene chloride, acetone, aromatic solvents, and other highly volatile and hazardous solvents.

Glycerine Carbonate: Ideal for cosmetic, personal care, and medicinal applications. Excellent co-solvent for custom-tailored blends.

Dimethyl Esters (DMEs)

Highly effective and versatile solvent used in many coatings applications and as a component or stand alone solvent for industrial cleaning. We currently provide DMEs in customized blends for several manufacturers and formulators.

Methyl Soyate

Bio-based raw material that can be used on a variety of substrates This product isreadily biodegradable with excellent compatibility with other solvents in formulations or micro-emulsions containing d’Limonene, NMP, mineral spirits, and alcohols.

Tripropylene Glycol (Mono) Methyl Ether (TPM)

Very low volatility, low odor, completely water miscible and versatile co-solvent in coatings and cleaners. Applications in coatings and cleaners, as well as agricultural, electronic, ink, textile and adhesive products.

Ethyl Lactate

Lactate esters are readily biodegradable with very low toxicity and excellent solvency. Can be used to replace solvents or as co-solvent in custom blends and formulations.

Dimethyl Sulfoxide

Cost-effective, low regulatory constraints, great substitute for dimethyl acetamide, dimethyl formamide and N-methyl pyrrolidone. This material offers a wide range of application potential with safer characteristics than other alternative solvents.

Many industrial and commercial cleaning applications require low foam surfactants for optimal performance. There are unique properties in each low foam surfactant that may benefit a particular cleaning application, so we typically consult with the formulator on the best surfactant for their needs. General characteristics include detergent compatibility, cost-effective cleaning power, peroxide stability, and nonionic behavior.

Low foam surfactants can be used in a variety of detergent applications, including automatic dish washing, machine floor scrubbing, industrial and commercial laundry formulations, as well as in parts washing, spray washing, hard surface cleaning, and metal working fluids.

Our low foam surfactant series includes Sta-Mulse® 300 LF,  Sta-Mulse® 500 LF,  and Sta-Mulse® 700 LF. We also develop cost-effective, optimized blends for different formulations and applications.

If you have questions or would like to learn more, contact us here.

Sta-Mulse® TPD – this product exhibits exceptional wetting and de-foaming characteristics and is useful as a wetting and dispersant agent in a variety of applications.  We designed this blend in order to provide an effective polymer dispersant for companies in the thermoplastic composite industry. A range of potential applications includes coatings, polymers, inks, paper, dust control, and cleaning formulations.

Other attributes include both anionic and nonionic properties, high flash point, and no hazardous air pollutants.

Contact us to discuss your particular application and learn more about Sta-Mulse® TPD.

 We work with a lot of companies seeking replacement solvents in industrial cleaning applications. A request for an alternative solvent or material often originates from concerns about VOC content, biodegradability, or fumes and odor. We are also aware of the need to comply with increasingly strict environmental regulations at the federal and state level.

One of our most effective, safest, and compliant products is Sta-Sol ESS-2. This blend of non-regulated, non-VOC, non-corrosive, and non-flammable esters is useful as a paint stripper, general industrial hard surface or hand cleaner, and coatings solvent. Due to its non-hazardous profile, the product is not hazardous or toxic under SARA 302 and 313, non-reportable under CERCLA, and not regulated by the DOT.

Although certain adjustments would be necessary in using this solvent as a greener/safer replacement (whether in formulations or as an end use product), including longer evaporation times and less immediate strength when compared to acetone, ketones, toluene, etc., the general effectiveness is impressive and the blend can perform well as an efficient replacement in several applications.

If you’d like to learn more or would like a sample, please feel free to contact S T Labs here or call us at 877-785-2271.

As a formulator and sourcing partner for large manufacturers in the HI&I sector, we are keenly aware of the need to develop products in accordance with established 3rd party certification standards. We have found that CleanGredients, a section of the non-profit group GreenBlue, is a valuable resource for formulators seeking label approval from the EPA’s partnership program with Design for the Environment (DfE).

DfE screens products against strict criteria focused on human and environmental health attributes. A product that has passed through their assessment process will earn the DfE label. End markets for some of these products include I&I cleaners, graffiti removal, coatings, inks, marine/aircraft cleaning, additives, and detergents. The program focuses on components of these products that are viable substitutes for previously used chemicals with less than desirable human and environmental health characteristics.

How can we help? S T Labs is familiar with the process of finding materials that have been pre-screened against DfE criteria, thus allowing for expedited approval and labeling of end use products. We work with raw material manufacturers to identify appropriate substitutes that have received CleanGredients recognition, and then with formulators to create effective alternatives with credible 3rd party certification. We also create products in our labs as a private label manufacturing partner or custom blender.

CleanGredients currently lists materials within the surfactants and solvents categories. They’re now accepting materials within the chelating agent and fragrance categories as well.

For more information about our experience and solutions in green formulating, please feel free to contact us.

Rheology modifiers and thickening agents can change the viscosity and improve properties of I&I cleaners, polymer blends, medical compression units, and personal care products.

We’ve created our Sta-Thix™ line to give formulators, manufacturers, and packagers greater versatility by thickening the product, creating stability, or adding suspension benefits. The product takes on a gel-like appearance and the desired flow can be adjusted depending on the application.

Using a cross-linked acrylic acid based technology in a proprietary blend, we’ve developed Sta-Thix™ for gel based medical devices, packaging applications, and pharmaceutical compounds. The product is clear, but color can be added upon request.

Contact us to learn more…

Customers often seek a balance between cleaning strength and green/safety/compliance characteristics for industrial applications. With an increasing array of choices available in the marketplace, there is no need to sacrifice on either end.  In this post, we’re highlighting a product that strikes this balance, with particular effectiveness in applications where heavy duty cleaning is necessary.

Sta-Mulse® HDC is designed specifically to remove asphalt and tar residue from parts, equipment, and trucks. This product is blended with bio-based components and features excellent solvency and functionality.

We provide HDC in ready to use pails and drums. Our customers have had success by applying the product directly on the surface of the truck, equipment, etc, followed by a water rinse.

Read more about Sta-Mulse HDC or Contact US for more information.

Dry-film lubricant coatings are very thin film coatings used when an ultra-low coefficient of friction is required. These coatings are highly effective and durable in low speed environments on a wide range of substrates, particularly when a non-oily, non-flammable, and essentially clean application is desired.

We’ve worked with several companies to provide a dry film solution with ease of application in mind.

Sta-Lease™ Liquid 3 is a dry film PTFE lubricant delivering ultra-low surface tension benefits and excellent mold release properties. As Sta-Lease has a very low co-efficient of friction, ranging from  0.07 – 0.15, it can be ideal for use with leather, plastic, and elastomer belts, gaskets, packing, gears and bearings.

This product can be used on a wide-range of materials that require a “non-migrating” lubricant deposition.  Whether applied by spraying, dipping, painting or swabbing, a thin layer of dry film lubricant is deposited via an evaporative carrier fluid.  This form of dry film lubrication is also effective on machine components, such as mechanical fasteners, as well as on conveyors, cord, twine, rope and cable.

Read more about Sta-Lease Liquid 3 or contact ST Labs for more information…

Our ‘Green Solvent’ updates will focus on current alternatives to traditional solvents available in the marketplace. There is growing recognition for the various applications and economic viability of replacement solvents, at times making them a safe and practical option for industrial end users and manufacturers.

Dimethyl Esters (DMEs)

DMEs have grown in acceptance and application due to relatively positive characteristics, including low cost, high boiling point, low volatility, non-corrosive, and excellent solvency.

DMEs are formulated into blends or used on their own in a growing range of industrial and commercial applications. For instance, DMEs are used in various coatings, including coil, container,   automotive, and wire enamel, as well as for industrial cleaning as paint strippers and components in water based compounds.  Although DMEs are only slightly soluble in water, a non-ionic surfactant addition will create miscibility with water, making DMEs an efficient choice in industrial cleaning blends.

As replacement solvents, DMEs have been used as very effective substitutes for isophorone, glycol ethers, glycol ether acetates, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP or M-Pyrol), methylene chloride based strippers, and other HAPS. So, if health and environmental compliance concerns are posed by current solvent usage, a DME blend may be the perfect solution.

For more information about DME blends or for samples, please contact ST Laboratories, Inc. In addition, our distributor, John R. Hess & Co. Inc. is a leading source for DME solutions in the Northeast region and beyond.