ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether (etb) is not a new product in the field of alcohol ether solvents, but as a substitute for ethylene glycol butyl ether (bcs/eb), its attention from the industry cannot be underestimated. in recent years, the apparent domestic demand for ethylene glycol monobutyl ether has been between 160,000 and 180,000 tons, with domestic production of 40,000 and 50,000 tons, and nearly 80% of demand relies on imports. however, with the continuous advancement of environmental protection policies, the toxicity of ethylene glycol butyl ether has become a key factor restricting its development.
glycol ethers are important derivatives of ethylene oxide. they have been in production for nearly 90 years since 1926. because they contain ether bonds and hydroxyl groups in their molecules, they have excellent properties. , is widely used as solvents, jet fuel antifreeze, brake fluids, and chemical intermediates. in my country, up to 85% of alcohol ether and alcohol ether ester solvents are used in coatings (including resin). among them, the consumption of ethylene glycol butyl ether (also known as anti-white water or bcs), propylene glycol methyl ether (pm) and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (pma) ranks first.
at present, the types of alcohol ether solvents are relatively single, relying too much on ethylene glycol butyl ether, propylene glycol methyl ether and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate; and in terms of application, they rely too passively on traditional solvent-based ship paint/anti-corrosion paints and wood finishes. with the increasingly stringent environmental regulations, especially after the implementation of the national policy of levying a 4% consumption tax on coatings with voc content exceeding 420 g/l (inclusive) on february 1, 2015, traditional solvent-based industrial coating companies have turned to water-based, powder, etc. the road to transformation and upgrading in the direction of environmental protection has gradually become clear. in march 2015, the u.s. environmental protection agency announced a final rule imposing import restrictions on seven categories of glycol ethers that may cause health problems such as birth defects and blood poisoning. as the consumption of traditional glycol ether series products continues to shrink, seeking new environmentally friendly fields has become a key concern for manufacturing companies and nstream sectors.
ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether is an isomer of ethylene glycol n-butyl ether. it is easily volatile at room temperature, miscible with water, most organic solvents and resins, and has little irritation to the skin. , is an environmentally friendly green product that replaces traditional glycol ether solvents. after the implementation of solvent regulations in the united states in 1967, the amount of solvents discharged into the atmosphere was strictly restricted. aromatic solvents became the target of environmental control due to their strong photochemical reactivity, while glycol ether solvents have been regarded as low photochemical reactivity. oxygenated solvents are widely used. in the early 1970s, a research report by laity j. l and others in the united states found that tertiary alkyl alcohols have much lower photochemical reactivity than primary and secondary alcohols, which promoted the research work on the development of a new solvent, ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether. .
it is expected that in the new solvent regulations to be announced by the u.s. occupational safety and health administration (osha), the toxicity of ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether will be raised and the large-scale use of ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether will be restricted; or oil products if the addition amount of mtbe is limited and the output of mtbe is affected, ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether will be developed as a substitute for ethylene glycol butyl ether.
ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether is a new type of environmentally friendly solvent, which is widely used in coatings, inks, cleaning agents and pharmaceutical intermediates. it is especially suitable for computers, mobile phones, digital cameras, and high-end automobiles. in the production of coatings for plastics, etc., it has obvious advantages compared with ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. through performance comparison, we can clearly see that in terms of toxicity, ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether has low toxicity and is an environmentally friendly solvent; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether has high toxicity and is restricted in use in some coatings; by boiling point we can see that ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether has good volatility, the boiling point of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether is 172°c, and the boiling point of ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether is 152°c. the latter is easier to obtain a coating with good drying properties than the former. in addition, the aqueous solution of ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether does not layer at any temperature, has strong storage stability, and has better water solubility than ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. in addition, ethylene glycol tert-butyl ether also has the advantages of good latex dispersion stability and low photochemical reactivity.