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What types of aromatic fluids are offered by ExxonMobil?
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Describe major differences in the aromatic fluids offered by ExxonMobil?
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What is the composition of these aromatic fluids?
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What is the naphthalene content of these aromatic fluids?
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What do naphthalene depleted and ultra-low naphthalene mean?
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What are the applications in which ExxonMobil aromatic fluids are used?
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What is the benzene content of the heavy aromatic fluids?
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Which aromatic fluids are used in coatings?
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Which fluids have the lowest hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) levels?
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Why replace xylene with Aromatic 100 Fluid in paint & coatings?
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What types of aromatic fluids are offered by ExxonMobil?
ExxonMobil Chemical offers several products where the aromatic content is typically 99.5 weight percent or higher. In addition to toluene and xylene, a set of heavy aromatic products are offered. The heavy aromatic products are trademarked Solvesso globally except in the U.S., where the products are known as Aromatic fluids.
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Describe major differences in the aromatic fluids offered by ExxonMobil?
The major difference is carbon number which in turn impacts the distillation range. Toluene, a C7 aromatic, is the lowest boiling aromatic fluid offered. The distillation range increases with carbon number, i.e. xylene (C8 aromatic), Solvesso 100 (C9-10 aromatic), Solvesso 150 (C10-11 aromatic) and Solvesso 200 (C10-14 aromatic). In the U.S. the corresponding names are Aromatic 100, Aromatic 150 and Aromatic 200.
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What is the composition of these aromatic fluids?
Toluene is methyl benzene. Xylene is a mixture of various dimethyl benzenes. Solvesso 100 is composed primarily of C9-10 dialkyl and trialkylbenzenes. Solvesso 150 contains mainly higher molecular weight (C10-11) alkylbenzenes, while Solvesso 200 is composed mainly of alkylnaphthalenes.
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What is the naphthalene content of these aromatic fluids?
Only the Solvesso 150 and Solvesso 200 grades (and the corresponding Aromatic 150 and Aromatic 200 grades) contain naphthalene, typically around 8 to 12 percent. However, grades with significantly reduced naphthalene contents are available. (See next question.)
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What do naphthalene depleted and ultra-low naphthalene mean?
ExxonMobil Chemical offers grades with reduced napthalene content to meet classification and labeling requirements. Naphthalene depleted (ND) indicates a naphthalene content of less than 1.0 weight percent, while ultra-low naphthalene (ULN) indicates a content of less than 0.1 weight percent.
In early 2002 IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified naphthalene as a category 2B carcinogen (possibly carcinogenic to humans). In the U.S. products containing greater than 0.1 weight percent naphthalene are required to reflect this classification on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). To address this requirement, ExxonMobil Chemical has commercialized two grades, Aromatic 150 ULN and Aromatic 200 ULN. The naphthalene depleted versions of these grades continue to be offered, which have naphthalene concentrations less than 1.0 weight percent.
In Europe it is expected that a similar ruling will be made, and that products containing greater than 1.0 weight percent naphthalene will be affected. In anticipation of this requirement, ExxonMobil offers Solvesso 150 ND and Solvesso 200 ND Fluids.
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What are the applications in which ExxonMobil aromatic fluids are used?
The two primary applications are agricultural chemicals and coatings. In agriculture applications, for example, aromatic fluids can be used as solvents for active ingredients, typically in emulsifiable concentrates. In coatings they are used as solvents in architectural and industrial coatings applications. In both applications the high solvency of the aromatic fluids is key to their performance.
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What is the benzene content of the heavy aromatic fluids?
The benzene content of ExxonMobil Chemical's heavy aromatic fluids (Aromatic 100, 150 and 200 and Solvesso 100, 150 and 200) is typically less than 1 ppm.
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Which aromatic fluids are used in coatings?
The lighter aromatic fluids, such as toluene, xylene and Solvesso 100 fluid (or Aromatic 100 fluid) are primarily used in coatings applications. These products offer good solvency and a range of evaporation rates to meet performance needs.
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Which fluids have the lowest hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) levels?
Of the aromatic fluids offered by ExxonMobil Chemical, Aromatic 100 has the lowest HAPs content (as defined by U.S. EPA), less than 3.4 percent. The HAPs content of Aromatic 150 is less than 10.1 percent. For the other aromatic fluids (toluene, xylene, Aromatic 200), the HAPs concentration is 100 percent.
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Why replace xylene with Aromatic 100 Fluid in paint & coatings?
In the U.S. the main reason is compliance with regulations such as HAPs, SARA, CERCLA and RCRA. Compared to xylene, the use of Aromatic 100 fluid results in more than a 96 percent reduction of HAPs and more than a 60 percent reduction in SARA 313 reportables. In addition, the benzene content is reduced, which may favorably affect the hazardous waste classification. All of these advantages provide the customer more flexibility in complying with regulatory demands. As an added benefit, resin-solvent compatibility is improved for most resins.
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