Chlorinated Solvents

What Are Chlorinated Solvents

Chlorinated solvents - also known as chlorinated hydrocarbons and chlorinated organic solvents - can be divided into methanes, ethanes, and ethenes. As described in the name "chlorinated," these solvents contain chlorine.

There are a large number of compounds that fit into this classification, such as Vinyl Chloride (VCM), carbon tetrachloride (CT), trichloroethylene (TCE), Dichloroethene (DCE), 1, 1, 1 - Trichloroethane (TCA), and even methylene chloride.

Since the chemical structure of chlorinated hydrocarbons contains chlorine, they are commonly used in products like paint thinners, degreasers, cleaning solutions, etc. These solvents are often used in dry cleaning. The chlorine in these solvents is excellent at dissolving fats and oils.

What Are Chlorinated Hydrocarbons Used For

Chlorinated organic solvents have many uses. These solvents can be used industrially, commercially, and even in your own home to complete a variety of tasks. Below are just a few of the functions that they are most commonly used for:

• Stripping Paint
• Adhesive Removal
• Degreasing Agents
• Metal Cleaning
• Dry Cleaning Services
• Refrigerants
• Various Cleaning Agents

What Types Of Contaminants Are Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

Chlorinated Solvents can harm various environmental media - land, air, or sea - and what's worse is that they can even contaminate food products as well.

Chlorinated organic solvents are technically considered volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because they tend to evaporate quickly. In some cases, these solvents can be regarded as carcinogenic.

Many of these solvents are considered toxic, and exposure to these solvents can lead to numerous health problems. These problems can be anything from reproductive, neurological and even developmental in nature. Some can even cause more than one of these problems for those with high-level exposure.

These solvents can also be considered POPs or "Persistent Organic Pollutants," meaning they can travel great distances to contaminate the environment. They aren't easily broken down by nature and can persistently act as a source of ongoing air and water contamination.

What's worse is that when these contaminants do infect groundwater, because they aren't easily broken down and are considered POPs, they can have devastating and long-lasting effects on the environment and human health in general. Populations exposed to these solvents in this way can see all sorts of health problems unless the source of contamination is dealt with quickly.

Are Chlorinated Organic Solvents Considered LNAPL or DNAPL?

In many cases, contaminants fall under one or the other (LNAPL or DNAPL). However, in the case of chlorinated solvents, it is more complex. Since the number of contaminants in this category is relatively large, some are considered light non-aqueous phase liquids, and some are deemed dense non-aqueous phase liquids. In fact, some chlorinated hydrocarbons can be both LNAPL and DNAPL based on the conditions of their environment.

The hardest ones to remediate are those considered DNAPLs, because of the nature of these more dense liquids. DNAPLs tend to burrow themselves beneath groundwater sources in complex, hard-to-characterize networks of contamination, and unless wholly isolated and treated, they will act as continuous sources of contamination. The nature of these more dense phase liquids makes the site investigation process incredibly important. The steps taken during phase 1 and phase 2 of the investigation will determine the overall success of the remedial efforts in phase 3.

How Cool-Ox® Destroys Chlorinated Solvents

Our patented remedial technology Cool-Ox® has been proven time and time again to destroy the presence of chlorinated hydrocarbons. We've had success in this industry for more than two decades, and we have the studies to prove it.

Our technology is a form of modified Fenton's reagent, that effectively destroys all traces of chlorinated organic solvents without any harsh reactions, or invasive process. Unlike other methods that just lock contaminants in place, our unique and patented process is able to achieve free product destruction all without:

• Any Corrosive By-Products
• Any Toxic By-Products
• Pore Clogging
• Long Drawn-Out Remedial Projects
• Heat

In fact, not only does our process not result in any of the above to occur, but our technology results in a cool reaction in terms of temperature. So there is also no need to treat gasses emitted from the reaction, as no gasses - due to extreme heat - are omitted.

Our technology can be applied in a variety of ways depending on the unique needs and situations of your site remediation project. We've successfully treated small and large sites using various in-situ and ex-situ remediation methods.

Whether we use environmental drilling techniques, more portable remedial methods, or even use existing recovery wells to administer our reagent, you'll receive the best treatment available to help get your site back.

Using the power of both oxidation and reduction, our technology has been proven to not only eradicate chlorinated organic solvents but also to encourage the growth of microorganisms that encourage plant growth, because at the end of the day environmental sustainability is truly our goal.