Antifreeze Chemical Substance

Machines form a very crucial component in our lives. Be it for our personal use or our business use, we have to use machines for completing all tasks. Indirectly, we have become dependent on machines in a major way these days.  When we use machines, we must maintain them for their optimal performance. The activities of preventive maintenance need to be carried out from time to time so that our machines don’t face any failure.  Preventive maintenance entails equipping your machinery with that mechanism and tools that will safeguard it from normal wear and tear. One of these components of the safety mechanism is the Antifreeze chemical substance. 

Earlier, water was used as a coolant, but due to its restrictions of temperatures, it wasn’t that effective. Water expands soon, when the temperature rises in the machines. This is when anti-freezers were invented.

This substance has been mainly developed to protect the machines from ill effects like ice formation and radiator failure. This substance is added to the water that in turn leads to lowering the cooling point of water. The water has good coolant properties thus the antifreeze substance is added to water to create a blend we generally call coolant. 

The main antifreeze chemical substances in the industry are ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.  Apart from that, there are other substances which are made as custom mixture according to the needs and use. 

Industrial Application 

Antifreeze is a toxic chemical and the main consumer of this substance is the automobile industry. This industry uses this substance as the coolant for the engines as already mentioned above.  The main purpose of using this substance is to prevent damage to the radiators of the machine. 

Apart from that, it is also used in the aerospace industry for the same purpose. But the combination prepared for this big rocket engine is much more complex and is used with high precaution. The demand for this substance is very high in this segment as well. The airline industry is also a big consumer of this substance. They need coolant for their engines as well. 

The manufacturing units of several industries use this substance for its chemical properties. It has got a high thermal capacity. It has got a high boiling point and lower freezing point which is very advantageous for industrial use. 

Environmental Impact of Anti-freezers 

Antifreeze chemical substance comes with a few negative impacts as well. The anti-freeze combinations contain additives that have proven to be harmful to the environment. The additives present in this substance have been known to cause damage to water bodies and the drinking water supply. The main issue is that these additives when decomposed become a part of the water bodies, in turn causing harm to them.

Apart from that, these anti-freezers cause heavy damage to aquatic life as well. The animals have a tough time bearing the impacts of these harmful chemicals. There are many governments that have issued guidelines regarding this. The regulatory agencies keep a close tab on these anti-freezers. 

Types of Technology Used for Making Anti freezer 

HOAT

Hybrid organic acid technology is a blend of IAT and OAT technology which is quite a recent addition in the segment of antifreeze chemical substance. It gained a heavy demand because of its inherent qualities of both the basic coolants. They are primarily orange and are used by many prominent industries. 

IAT

Inorganic additive technology is one of the oldest antifreeze coolants in the industry. This is a greenish substance that was first used in the automotive industry. After that, it was used in other industries.  

OAT

This is one of the least compatible antifreeze substances in the market. Organic additive technology is used in very specific vehicles. They are usually green, orange, yellow, or purple. 

IAT and OAT contain a heavy amount of additives that are harmful to the environment.  HOAT is a better option when it comes to having an environmentally friendly antifreeze substance.  The industry should push more for HOAT. it is a bit costly but is much better for the future. Antifreeze is a toxic chemical, it can cause harm to the human body as well. It has to be used with utmost precaution and care. Otherwise, it can have drastic effects. 

Did You Know?

There have been many incidents where the pets or kids have swallowed the coolants kept in a domestic setting! The coolant has a very sweet smell and thus becomes tempting for kids as well as pets.  This is a very hazardous material and should always be kept out of reach of the children. The companies even imprint the guidelines on the package which says the same. India has also reported several cases where even adults swallowed the coolants thinking of it to be an alcoholic substance.