The Greener Side of Industrial Degreasers

Many manufacturing and production industries usebenefits for companies.
industrial degreasers to clean the parts andCompanies also have to comply with all Federal and
equipment used to make their products. TraditionalState regulations. Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) and
degreasers use artificial chemicals that are highlyVolatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are the two
regulated, dangerous to the environment, and toxicmain measurements for environmental harm by
to humans and wild animals. A major concern amongbusinesses. VOCs occur when UV light reacts with
Americans today is protecting the environment andnitrogen oxides from automobiles, manufacturing
this involves using products that are not harmful to it.plants, power plants, and others. Certain VOCs are
Because of this, more and more pressure is being putlimited by regulation and others are exempt
on manufacturers and businesses to switch to moredepending on their adverse effect on the ozone. HAP
environmentally friendly products and procedures. Inregulations consider any facility that emits ten or
response, many industries, including the aerospacemore tons of HAP on a yearly basis to be a major
industry, are switching to organic degreasers to helpsource. These regulations vary depending on the
the environment and remove pressure caused byindustry and are in effect nationwide. VOC regulations
tight government regulations.only apply to areas that cannot meet the national
Cleaning machinery and parts is a very detailed andstandards and are required to keep VOC emissions at
complicated process. There are many factors thata certain percentage rate. Many of the regulations
must be considered when choosing a method ofset by Federal and State government will not apply
cleaning and the cleaning materials to be used. Somefor companies that switch to organic degreasers
of these include the material to be cleaned, type ofbecause they do not disperse pollutants into the
contamination, where it will be cleaned, and theenvironment.
cleaning technique. Often the process is performedOrganic degreasers use all natural ingredients and
directly on the production line and the materials varyeliminate the need for artificial chemicals. They may
along with the type of contamination. The cleaningused for heavy duty and high performance cleaning
process can be performed in one step if it is doneand after much research are just as affective as
manually; however, in most industrial facilities it takesartificial chemicals with less risk to the environment.
many steps. Each step could require its own chamberThese degreasers are designed to be less harmful
and bath exchange for cleaning. A bath exchangefor humans, non-toxic, and biodegradable. Companies
removes contaminants and old agents from thewill have to deal with less regulation and will have
system. Organic degreasers can be used in place ofsafer working conditions for their employees. At the
the artificial chemicals currently being used in thesame time they will be working toward a better
facility if they do not change the end result. Thisenvironment for future generations.
could require some extensive research but has many