Siloxanes — synthetic chains of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms — are widely used in personal care products, soaps, pharmaceutical formulations and other products, but are notoriously difficult to manage in production- and waste-fluid streams. Current approaches, including flaring and landfilling, create secondary environmental problems. Now, GraniteFuel Engineering Inc. (Toronto, Ont.; www.granitefuel.com) have developed a new approach to siloxane removal from fluid streams, with a method to transform siloxanes into silicon dioxide (SiO2) and capture the solid material for disposal.
The method, which was recently granted a patent in the U.S., offers a path to preventing downstream damage from siloxanes in industrial, pharmaceutical and cosmetics manufacturing sites that use these chemicals, as well as wider environmental damage from siloxanes.
Glen Prisciak, director of sales at GraniteFuel, says “Siloxanes have long been considered a nuisance byproduct with no effective means of treatment. Our technology not only neutralizes siloxanes, but opens opportunities for cleaner, more efficient pharmaceutical and cosmetic production.”
GraniteFuel’s process involves a controlled hydrolysis reaction of siloxane molecules with water over a proprietary catalytic adsorbent media at elevated temperatures. The reactor converts the siloxane molecules to solid SiO2, which is captured by the media. At defined intervals, the media is removed and landfilled.
“Regulations are developing for siloxanes, and this first-of-its-kind method offers an environmentally friendly way to integrate the removal of siloxanes into existing operations to prevent environmental contamination,” says Shazam Williams, technical director at DCL Technology Group, the parent company of GraniteFuel.
This technology can help with solvent reclamation when combined with other GraniteFuel technologies, such as a temperature-swing adsorption system for VOC removal. GraniteFuel is currently looking for partners to pilot the process in a real-world manufacturing setting.