Applications of Butyl acetate

Butyl acetate is applied as a solvent in many commercial organic reagents. For example it is
commonly used as a solvent in paints, lacquers, thinners, automotive coatings, enamels and
varnishes. Furthermore it is employed in the manufacture of artificial leather, plastics, safety
glass, printing inks, sealants and adhesives. Butyl acetate is also used as a solvent for different
coating resins such as epoxies, urethanes and cellulose based resins. It is also applied as a
solvent for polymers, oils, waxes and fats. In the food industry butyl acetate is used as a
flavoring agent for instance in ice cream, cheese and baked food stuffs. It has been used as an
additive in gasoline to prevent engine knocking. In some fragrances and cosmetics, butyl
acetate is among the ingredients. It is also a common additive in nail polish removers and
cleaning reagents. Analytical grade butyl acetate is applied as a solvent in liquid
chromatography separation technique. Other important applications of butyl acetate can be
found in chemical and pharmaceutical industries where it is used either as an extractant or
solvent for various processes. For example, it has been used in extraction of phenol from
wastewater solutions [Alan_1993] and in manufacture of penicillin G. [Lindia]. The main
industrial applications of n-butyl acetate are paints and lacquers, coatings, cosmetics, leather
manufacturing, cleaning and degreasing as well as in the pharmaceutical industries. [Ref.
BASF]
Table ## n-butyl acetate product grades and their specifications [Ref. ASTM]
Property
Purity, wt.% (min.)
Alcohol, wt.% (max.)
Color, Pt-Co units, max.
Distillation range, C
Non-volatile matter, wt.%(max.)
Odor
Water content, % (max.)
Acidity, wt. % (max.)
Apparent Specific Gravity at:
20/20C
25/25C

Grades
A

90-92
90-92
10
118-128
0.005
Non-residual
0.2
0.01

98
98
10
120-128
0.005
Non-residual
0.1
0.01

99.5
99.5
0.5
10
124-129
0.005
Non-residual
0.1
0.01

99.5U
99.5
0.5
10
124-129

0.874 - 0.876
0.870 - 0.872

0.880-0.883
0.86-0.879

0.880-0.883
0.876-0.879

0.880-0.883
0.876-0.879

Non-residual
0.05
0.01

Urethane grade material

Competing products
There are a number of chemical reagents which can used instead of n-butyl acetate (nBuAc) in
different applications. First its isomers which include: iso-butyl acetate, sec-butyl acetate and
tert-butyl acetate offer similar applications options. All those isomers can be used as solvents
for paints, lacquers, inks, vinyl resins and in fragrances [REFs]. Like butyl acetate, tert-butyl
acetate (TBAc) maybe employed as an additive in gasoline. Among other esters which can
serve the same purposes as n-butyl acetate include: methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, propyl
acetate, iso-propyl acetate, n-butyl propionate and 2-hexyl ethyl acetate. Alcohol solvents such
as isopropanol and n-butanol can also be employed as solvents rather than butyl acetate in
some cases like coatings. Ketone based solvents consisting of: acetone, methyl ethyl ketone

(MEK) and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) provide alternatives for butyl acetate in particular
areas like cleaning and coating reagent preparation. In addition to the above mentioned solvent
types, ethers and hydrocarbon based solvents like glycol ether, toluene and xylene are in some
cases utilized as solvents. However environmental aspects may prevent use of many other
substitute solvents like toluene and xylene [EPA]
Among the above mentioned solvents, acetone, methyl acetate and ethyl acetate are commonly
acceptable in many cases for example as extraction solvents or additives in the food industry. In
cleaning applications, acetone, n-butanol and isopropanol are among the substitutes for n-butyl
acetate. Another area where n-butyl acetate faces competition is in the preparation of coating
resins. According to specifications from Arkema Coating Resins [REFs], xylene is preferred in
many short and medium oil alkyds, liquid reactive polyamides and in styrenated, acrylated,
phenolic, epoxy ester, urethane modified resins. Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is also applicable in
some cases such as in Polyurethane Alkyd resins alongside xylene. As a demonstration,
performance of butyl acetate as compared to some of its competitor reagents like TBAc is
shown in the following Figures ## and Tables ##& ##. [REF_Low VOC]

n-butyl acetate

Figure ## Evaporation rate comparison [Ref. Low Voc]

Figure ## Epoxy amine curative ability in three different solvents [Ref. VOC]

Table ##: Wood lacquer formulation [from _VOC]

Table ##. 2K Urethane Clearcoat Formulations [from VoC]

Environmental aspects of Butyl acetate

In nature Butyl acetate can be found in various fruits and plants. It can be released to
environment from plants due to its volatility. It is said to exist exclusively as vapor in the
atmosphere where it is photo chemically degraded. The estimated half-life of the degradation
reaction is 3.8 days.
Generally butyl acetate can be considered a benign solvent to the environment. It is said to be
readily biodegradable in aerobic conditions. When discharged into the surroundings, most (for
instance 97.2 %) of it easily escapes into air with the remainder absorbed into the water
streams. In aqueous solutions butyl acetate is hydrolyzed into acetic acid and butyl alcohol. The
stability of butyl acetate in water has been reported to be pH dependent. For example at pH 7
and under ambient conditions (20C), the estimated half-life is said to be equivalent to 3.1 years
whereas at pH 9 it drastically reduces to only 11.4 days. [REFs] It is argued that considering the
physicochemical properties of butyl acetate, its bioaccumulation within the food web is unlikely
to occur. It is also not expected to bind with soil. BAc_s SID]. In the atmosphere it reacts with
hydroxyl radicals thereby forming 2-oxobutyl acetate and 3-oxybutyacetate. [BAc_s SID]
Environmental release of butyl acetate from production processes is notably low [REF].
Normally it is released into the environment via volatilization. Paint industry and lacquer spray
booths are among the areas which presents relatively high amounts of butyl acetate
occupational exposure. For example in lacquer spray exposure range of 1-10 ppm was reported
[REF]. Table ##, shows examples of different work places where workers are susceptible to
butyl acetate exposure. Occupational intake of butyl acetate can occur via inhalation or skin
absorption during unit process operations. Other people may also get contaminated with butyl
acetate through air inhalation, food stuffs and drinking water. For example presence of butyl

acetate within households environments was also reportedly examined in few countries such as
Germany, England, Finland and Switzerland. The levels of butyl acetate observed in the first
three countries were very low (e.g. <23 g/m3). The results from Germany indicated increased
presence of volatile organic compounds during winter, at 2-3 fold compared to the summer
period. A study in Switzerland from newly renovated houses showed 549 g/m3 of butyl acetate
concentration in the surroundings. The cause of higher amounts of butyl acetate in Swiss
households was attributed to use of a certain sealing wax on a cork floor of the houses.
[Rothweiler et al., 1992 in BAc_s]. Butyl acetate 54
Butyl acetate maybe released to aquatic environment through industrial waste solutions from
processes where its applied. But normally before industrial effluent discharge to environment,
organic wastes are treated. As an example, in the manufacture of penicillin, industrial effluents
containing butyl acetate and acetone were sent to a biological waste-water treatment plant
before discharge to the environment [REF_google book].The toxicity level of butyl acetates to
aquatic organisms is said to be between low and moderate based on the acute basis.
Contamination of aquatic life with butyl acetate is rare but it can occur in cases accidental
release or through spillage. [REF_Dow, Buty acetates].

Table ## Occupational air levels (personal air sampling) [from BAc_SID]

Although butyl acetate can be considered as fairly environment friendly reagent, there is a
growing trend to minimize to volatile organic compounds (VOC) due to their contribution to
ozone layer formation which results into smog. Ozone is an irritant especially to respiratory
tract. The main sources of Ozone are biogenic, automobiles and so forth. Although Ozone
generated from butyl acetate associated applications such as coating and paint industry is
considerably low, use of high-VOCs is being regulated for example in the United States and
Canada. Figure ##, shows the ozone emissions generated by individual solvents including nbutyl acetate. It can be seen from the Figure that methyl acetate, TBAc and acetone are VOCExempt solvents whereas butyl acetate together with many others are not exempted. Based on
this criterion, different solvents like acetone and tert-butyl acetate maybe preferred for use in
some cases instead of n-butyl acetate. [REF_VOCs]

Figure ###.

Hazards and Safety aspects of butyl acetate

Butyl acetate should be stored in cool, dry, well ventilated places and in sealed containers.
Proper labeling is required in conformation to standards for hazardous and highly flammable
reagents. Organic containers should be secured from damage and be separated from other
chemical reagents such as strong oxidizing agents, strong bases and strong acids. The storage
area should be protected against heat, sparks and risk of naked flames. During handling of nbutyl acetate, non-sparking tools are strongly recommended. Storage tanks should also be
earthed to avoid static sparks. Emptied containers also have to be handled with care as a
precautionary measure for any residual chemical.
In case of large spillages, the material should be contained, collected and after treated or
reclaimed as per governmental rules and regulations. It can be cleaned with use of dry-lime,
sand or soda ash. Personal protective equipments should be worn before chemical
containment. Experienced personnel or authority should be notified. Danger of ignition should
be eliminated instantly because the reagent is highly flammable. This is because butyl acetate is
easily ignited by heat, sparks or naked flames. Fires may also result due to contact with
potassium-tert-butoxide, nitrates, strong oxidizers, strong alkalis and strong acids. Butyl acetate
vapors can spread quickly into air and when ignited fire will engulf the whole contaminated area.
It is considered a vapor explosion hazard indoors, outdoors and in drains or sewers or
containment tanks. Like other butyl acetates, it poses high risk of explosions when containment
containers are heated. Its decomposition releases toxic gases such as carbon oxide and CO2.
Application of water fire extinguishers maybe inefficient and therefore employment of dry
chemicals, alcohol foams or carbon dioxide is strongly recommended [CDC_REF]. Fire fighting
should be exercised upwind and from a maximum distance possible and areas should be
isolated from the general public. [CDC_REF]

Some Noted References

http://www3.epa.gov/ttn/atw/188polls.html
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1993/opp93111/opp93111.txt
https://nywea.org/clearwaters/pre02fall/301050.html [BAc Vs MI
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0072-rev.pdf [CDC]
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+152
http://www.solventis.net/esters/normal-butyl-acetate [Major use of butyl acetate]
http://www.greenbiologics.com/pdfs/hicp.pdf [Acetone, cleaning competition]
http://www.arkemacoatingresins.com/export/sites/coatingresins/.content/medias/downloads/liter
ature/Binders-for-Industrial_spreads.pdf [Coating resins]
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150501005524/en/Research-Markets-Europe-NButanol-Market-Applications-Butyl#.VgD8Rd-qpBc [not used]