Publications Details

Qualification of environmentally friendly cleaners

De Marquis, G.; Lopez, E.P.

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has traditionally used chlorinated and fluorinated organic solvents for general degreasing applications. Many of these solvents have been labeled by the Federal Government as ozone depleting chemicals and as toxic and/or suspected carcinogens. As a result, these solvents will no longer be recommended for use within the DOE weapons complex. There are three major classes of materials that are of concern for cleaning: organics, metals and ceramics. Each of these materials has its own special cleaning problems. Solvents that were used in the past, such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) and trichloroethylene (TCE), were extremely efficient at removing everything from oils and greases to salts without leaving corrosive residues or permanently absorbing into the materials. These traditional degreasing solvents were essentially ``all-inone`` cleaners: quick, reliable, and easy to use. Unfortunately, a ``drop-in`` cleaner for such a wide variety of materials and contaminants will probably never be identified. So far, it has been difficult to identify environmentally conscious cleaners that clean as well as TCE and TCA. Most alternative cleaners require more volume to do the job, and also require longer exposure to get the job done. With these things in mind, we are hoping to identify and qualify new cleaners that will take care of general classes of materials.