Expert: Profile Closed - 2/15/2010

Question
QUESTION: Good morning, I am looking for a non-toxic and non flammable liquid that also evaporates, do you have some recommendations please?
Regards,
Toderesc Flavius

ANSWER: Hi there, and thanks for your question.

I will need a little bit more information regarding the potential use of this liquid before I can recommend a specific substance; after all, water is a non-toxic, non-flammable liquid that evaporates, but is probably not what you are looking for! :-) There are numerous different compounds that might fit the requirements of this liquid, from the non-damaging freons used to replace CFC propellants in aerosols to low-viscosity lubricant oils designed to act briefly and then evaporate.

If you can provide me with a follow-up giving me the area of application, I will be more than happy to provide a detailed answer that is tailored to the use of this liquid.

With best wishes,

George

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Good day Mr. Maxwell,
Firstly I would like to thank-you for your reply,
Our company produces shoes and shoe heels, our shoe heels come out of the injection mold hot, they are then sent through a cold water bath so that they cool down, they are then transported along a conveyor belt and end up in a box, now the heels still contain water droplets inside small crevices left from the injection process, we need to dry them completely so that they can be painted. I was thinking to submerge the heels into a liquid that would flush out the small amounts of water, after which they would come out and the miracle liquid would evaporate and leave the heels completely dry. I have tested this method with acetone, but acetone is far too toxic and highly flammable, but this process does work.
Regards,
Toderesc Flavius

Answer
Thank you for the follow-up, and for the further information.

Whilst I can't, of course, guarantee, that any particular method would work, I can suggest a possible area of research for your company to look in to further.

A solution of ethanol in water is used in many locations where fast evaporation is required. When diluted to less than 40 per cent alcohol, such mixtures are not readily flammable, and are not toxic under normal operating conditions; indeed, an ethanol-water evaporating spray was sold in the US for the purposes of cooling down the insides of cars on hot days; provided there is no direct ingestion of the mixture, the hazard should not be excessive.

As I say, I can only provide generic background information, and so can't be certain that this method would work for you, but it is certainly one area that you may wish to explore further in the literature to see if lab-trials are justified.

I hope this is of use to you, please do send a follow-up if I can be of any further help.

Best wishes, George