Background

The use of solvents for cleaning various parts and equipment is widespread. Historically, Department of Defense (DoD) vehicle, equipment, aircraft, and ship maintenance activities have used petroleum-based solvents to remove dirt, grease, soot, and burned-on carbon. Most of these solvents contain photoreactive volatile organic compounds (VOC), which react with oxides of nitrogen to form ground-level ozone, the primary component of smog. Some solvents have been identified in the Clean Air Act (CAA) as potentially toxic compounds and are listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).

In recent years, DoD has increasingly relied on aqueous-alkaline cleaners to comply with emerging environmental regulations. However, these cleaners are not adequate for some applications, as they have been found to have material compatibility issues such as corrosion of metal surfaces and hydrogen embrittlement. Because of these limitations, DoD continues to use large quantities of petroleum-based solvent cleaners.

With the environmental concerns related to petroleum-based solvent cleaners and performance issues of aqueous-alkaline cleaners, it is desirable to validate a new class of organic solvents. These environmentally friendly alternative solvents must be HAP-free, not contribute to VOC emissions, and meet DoD material compatibility and performance criteria.