Butyl Glycol in Nairobi, Kenya

Butyl Glycol ether provides excellent performance in coatings, cleaners, and many other types of products. It is one of the fastest evaporating glycol ethers. Butyl glycol ether is compatible with a wide range of resin types, and it also offers 100% water solubility.

• Synonyms: 2-butoxyethanol, Butyl Cellosolve, Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether
• INCI: Butyl Glycol
• Chemical Formula: C4H9OCH2CH2OH
• CAS Number: 111-76-2

Product Specifications

Characteristics

Uses and Applications for Butyl Glycol

·         Commercial uses

2-Butoxyethanol is a solvent for paints and surface coatings, as well as cleaning products and inks. Products that contain 2-butoxyethanol include acrylic resin formulations, asphalt release agents, firefighting foam, leather protectors, oil spill dispersants, degreaser applications, photographic strip solutions, whiteboard cleaners, liquid soaps, cosmetics, dry cleaning solutions, lacquers, varnishes, herbicides, latex paints, enamels, printing paste, and varnish removers, and silicone caulk. Products containing this compound are commonly found at construction sites, automobile repair shops, print shops, and facilities that produce sterilizing and cleaning products. It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial and industrial cleaning solutions. Since the molecule has both non-polar and polar ends, butoxyethanol is useful for removing both polar and non-polar substances, like grease and oils. It is also approved by the U.S. FDA to be used as direct and indirect food additives, which include antimicrobial agents, defoamers, stabilizers, and adhesives.

·         In the petroleum industry

2-Butoxyethanol is commonly produced for the oil industry because of its surfactant properties. In the petroleum industry, 2-butoxyethanol is a component of fracturing fluids, drilling stabilizers, and oil slick dispersants for both water-based and oil-based hydraulic fracturing.When liquid is pumped into the well, the fracturing fluids are pumped under extreme pressure, so 2-butoxyethanol is used to stabilize them by lowering the surface tension.As a surfactant, 2-butoxyethanol adsorbs at the oil-water interface of the fracture. The compound is also used to facilitate the release of the gas by preventing congealing. It is also used as a crude oil-water coupling solvent for more general oil well workovers.