""Green" Acetone Replacement - Effective on Cyanoacrylate?" Topic

I was reading the new issue of "WoodenBoat" magazine (as you may know, sailing traditional, handbuilt wooden boats is another popular Mojave Desert hobby), and ran across a review for a "100% biodegradable, no hazardous air pollutant, no Hazmat, no carcinogen, carbon neutral" replacement for acetone, toluene, and xylene.

The reviewer was using it in his boatbuilding shop to clean up excess resin used in hull coatings, and spoke glowingly. So I went on line, first to the parent company Web site (for MAS Epoxies) and then to the product ("Bio-Solv") web site:

greenacetone.com

It was last Saturday, so when I called the number, it transferred to the cell phone of the CEO, which was cool. We chatted for a while about what I wanted to use it for (dissolving cured CA/"super glue", and stripping paint when Simple green or Purple Power don't do the job)--and he allowed as how he had not yet tested it on CA, and cautioned that it did degrade plastics and resins.

But he had one of his folks mail me a sample on Monday, so that I could test it on CA joints on metal figures, as well as for the survivability of typical injection-molded styrene and typical resin castings (I have a bunch of Battlefront bits to torment) and I'll report back. I'll also check it as a paint stripper on some hard-to-budge eBay finds.

It's kind of expensive compared to, say, Wal-Mart fingernail polish remover (acetone and water), but can be used diluted, can be readily re-used, and to my mind, is a good thing because it's one less toxic chemical to keep around (next to my big jug o' MEK!).

So I'll let you know how it works out. Professional boatbuilders tend to be pretty persnickety about chemicals in the work area, and this seems to be received well at boat shows, so we'll find out how much of a good thing it is.

Allen

Your body makes acetone en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis and metabolizes it, how much more 'green' can you get?

Not enough to routinely cause spontaneous combustion, I suspect.

Allen

The MSDS is interesting.
Ethyl lactate 10-90%
Other "proprietary" co-solvent 10-90%

Hmmmmm

Eeentersting – please keep us informed.

I have some 30 year old Humbrol enamels I would like to strip off my early '80s micro armour.

Cool of them to send you a sample – I'll be interested to see how it works out.

Doug

Precisely how is ethyl acetate any more green than acetone? considering most common feedstocks for ethyl acetates are gaseous hydrocarbons got from the earth, not bioproducts (suprisingly that includes ethanol).I'm also particularly perplexed by the 10-90% variation in each solvent, sounds pretty ropey to me I'm guessing its a waste product, does it have a slight citrus odour? I'd guess that its d-Limone. It should be perfectly capable of disolving CA glue, polystyrene, most paints. its green credentials seem tenuous at best, particularly considering it "may" contain only 10% d-limonene (assuming its the propietary solvent)

Smoke and Mirrors

As for Toxicity/long term exposure, i'd be more worried by dioxins in your overcooked BBQ meat. (sure its from wiki but aleast it cites pretty solid references). I'm all for reasoned, ethical, environmentally sound products but your "green aceone" sounds like snake oil.

< * EPA EPCRA Delisting (1995). EPA removed acetone from the list of "toxic chemicals" maintained under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA). In making that decision, EPA conducted an extensive review of the available toxicity data on acetone and found that acetone "exhibits acute toxicity only at levels that greatly exceed releases and resultant exposures," and further that acetone "exhibits low toxicity in chronic studies."

* Genotoxicity. Acetone has been tested in more than two dozen in vitro and in vivo assays. These studies indicate that acetone is not genotoxic.

* Carcinogenicity. EPA in 1995 concluded, "There is currently no evidence to suggest a concern for carcinogenicity."(EPCRA Review, described in Section 3.3). NTP scientists have recommended against chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity testing of acetone because "the prechronic studies only demonstrated a very mild toxic response at very high doses in rodents."

* Neurotoxicity and Developmental Neurotoxicity. The neurotoxic potential of both acetone and isopropanol, the metabolic precursor of acetone, have been extensively studied. These studies demonstrate that although exposure to high doses of acetone may cause transient central nervous system effects, acetone is not a neurotoxicant. A guideline developmental neurotoxicity study has been conducted with isopropanol, and no developmental neurotoxic effects were identified, even at the highest dose tested. (SIAR, pp. 1, 25, 31).

* Environmental. When the EPA exempted acetone from regulation as a volatile organic compound (VOC) in 1995, EPA stated that this exemption would "contribute to the achievement of several important environmental goals and would support EPA's pollution prevention efforts." 60 Fed. Reg. 31,634 (June 16, 1995). 60 Fed. Reg. 31,634 (June 16, 1995). EPA noted that acetone could be used "as a substitute for several compounds that are listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAP) under section 112 of the [Clean Air] Act.>

"Smoke and Mirrors"

I give you your own quote:

'When the EPA exempted acetone from regulation as a volatile organic compound (VOC) in 1995, EPA stated that this exemption would "contribute to the achievement of several important environmental goals and would support EPA's pollution prevention efforts."'

It's very simple to improve environmental goals and "prevent pollutions" by simply declaring that a pollutant is no longer a pollutant. *That* is "Smoke and Mirrors".

By all means, do not purchase this product. Do not use it. I could really give a flip.

Allen

Well thats the wonderful thing about scientific reasoning, nothing is set in stone. seems fairly reasonable to me that some thing that was percieved to be a pollutant, yet on closer insection has no tangible effect as a pollutant is declared as a non-pollutant. That isn't goal-post shifting thats being sensible.

I'm suggesting if you're buying this product because its either "more environmentally sound" or "more healthy" then you're being taken for a ride.

How is it a pollutant? when bacteria metabolise it, it generates CO2? what just like any other organic material? Its toxic at hight concentrations, what just like ethanol or table salt or water(try drinking 20 litres of water a day and see what it does to your electrolyte levels or your kidneys, a wise man once said "the difference between medicine and poison is dosage")? it has a half life of 22 days in the environment.it is neither persistant, genotoxic, carcinogenic or particularly nasty except its got a really low flash point and is flammable.

Ring-a-ding-ding….

A hobbyist who uses 500ml once every blue moon in a well ventilated space (yes, it will make you pass out in high concentrations)is not likely to come to an untimely end due to his/her exposure to acetone (well in the absence of an ignition source anyway). I'll neither pretend its pleasant smelling or healthy to drink, but it strips paint very well and isn't particulary hazardous.

Seems to me you asked for an opinion. well, you got one. i'm sorry you didn't like it but thats always a risk.

How mature, hes blocking his ears.

For those who are genuinely interested Acetone MSDS:

PDF link