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US-12617953-B2 - Paint remover having reduced flammability

US12617953B2US 12617953 B2US12617953 B2US 12617953B2US-12617953-B2

Abstract

A composition comprises dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and has a flash point of 70° F. or greater. The composition has a total VOC content defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of 50 weight percent (%) or less. The composition removes or strips paint in a period of time of two hours or less. The composition may further comprises one or more corrosion inhibitors.

Inventors

  • Tim Teague
  • Matthew Michael Petkus
  • Dennis Earl Shireman
  • Alana Byrd

Assignees

  • W.M. BARR & COMPANY, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20220428

Claims (15)

  1. 1 . A paint remover composition comprising: 10 weight percent to 49 weight percent dimethyl carbonate (DMC), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is present in the paint remover composition, and is included at a concentration of 24 weight percent or less in the paint remover composition, 12 weight percent to 25 weight percent xylene or xylene containing mixture of isomers and ethyl benzene, and 0.25 weight percent to 5 weight percent of a corrosion inhibitor comprising oleic acid, morpholine, or a combination thereof, wherein the composition removes paint and has a flash point between 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and wherein the ratio of DMC to xylene is from 1:2.5 to 4:1.
  2. 2 . The paint remover composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor provides corrosion resistance to an internal surface of a metal container containing the composition.
  3. 3 . The paint remover composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor provides corrosion resistance to an external surface of a metal container containing the paint remover composition.
  4. 4 . The paint remover composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor further comprises triethanol amine, monoethanol amine, and a combination thereof.
  5. 5 . The paint remover composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor further comprises a nitrate, phosphate, borate, or a combination thereof.
  6. 6 . The paint remover composition according to claim 1 , wherein the corrosion inhibitor is a soap compound.
  7. 7 . The paint remover composition according to claim 6 , wherein the soap compound is selected from the group consisting of ammonium 9-octadecenoate, monoethanolamine 9-octadecenoate, diglycolamine 9-octadecenoate, morpholine 9-octadecenoate, and a combination thereof.
  8. 8 . A method of using a composition for paint removal, the method comprising: providing paint remover composition of claim 1 , and removing paint from a painted surface with the composition.
  9. 9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein removal of paint occurs in a time period of two hours or less.
  10. 10 . The method of using according to claim 8 , wherein the paint remover composition further comprises another solvent or solvent blend.
  11. 11 . The method of using according to claim 10 , wherein the solvent or solvent blend is selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic solvent, aromatic solvent, aromatic alcohol, glycol ether, glycol ether ester or esters, ether, and a combination thereof.
  12. 12 . The method of using according to claim 10 , wherein the solvent or solvent blend is selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic solvent, mineral spirits, toluene, xylene or xylene containing mixture of isomers and ethyl benzene, aromatic solvent, alkyl benzene derivatives, benzyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, propylene carbonate, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and a combination(s) thereof.
  13. 13 . The method of using according to claim 8 , wherein the paint remover composition further comprises water.
  14. 14 . The method of using according to claim 8 , wherein the paint remover composition further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of a surfactant, an ether containing compound, a dye, a thickener, a fragrance, a wax, and a combination thereof.
  15. 15 . The method of using according to claim 8 , wherein the paint remover composition has a total VOC content of 50 weight percent (%) or less based on the weight of the total composition.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Continuation application which claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/394,457, filed Apr. 25, 2019, pending, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent application No. 62/663,414, filed on Apr. 27, 2018, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of paint removers or paint strippers. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Most consumers use paint removers, also commonly referred to as paint strippers, for refinishing antique furniture, or woodworking's (doors, frames, moldings, etc.) in older houses. Many of these items have been painted and repainted many times over the years. This results in items having multiple layers of paint containing different chemistry types and a different degree of difficulty from being removed. Paint removers are also used in the auto body repair industry to help with vehicle restoration. Currently methylene chloride and N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) are used in the majority of paint removers in the United States. Methylene chloride has been the preferred solvent for use in paint removers for seventy years. Before methylene chloride was introduced, most paint removers consisted of a mixture of benzene and other volatile solvents such as methanol, acetone, and methyl ethyl ketone. Paint removers formulated with these volatile solvents are extremely flammable and the flammability of these paint removers resulted in fires causing injury and deaths. The benzene based removers were rapidly replaced with the methylene chloride paint removers because methylene chloride paint removers can be formulated to be non-flammable and are effective in removing multiple layers of paint. The physical characteristics give the methylene chloride molecule the ability to quickly penetrate multiple layers and to soften or dissolve chemically resistant coatings. Methylene chloride does not deplete the ozone layer and is considered to make negligible contributions to smog formation, the green-house effect and acid rain. Like other organic solvents, methylene chloride can be harmful to human health if used improperly. However, regulations are changing to remove methylene chloride and NMP from the environment. For example, on Mar. 15, 2019, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the consumer sale of methylene chloride in the United States. Since ingredients to formulate an alternative to a methylene chloride paint stripper are typically extremely flammable and highly regulated as volatile organic compounds, the challenge to the industry is to create a paint stripping formulation which is high performing while meeting volatile organic compound (VOC) laws and having a reduced flammability risk. According to 40 CFR 51.100(s), a volatile organic compound (VOC) “means any compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates, and ammonium carbonate, which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions.” The industry has typically used a high concentration of acetone in these alternative formulations because acetone is exempt from the VOC laws and is effective with paint removal. The problem with acetone is it has a flash point of negative 4-degree Fahrenheit which is considered extremely flammable. Flammability risk is defined by the consumer product safety commission and, to date, most extremely effective alternative methylene chloride formulations have fallen into the “extremely flammable” classification which is defined as any substance that has a flashpoint at or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The two other classifications set by the CPSC are “flammable” (defined as having a flash point above 20 degree F. but below 100 degree F.) and “combustible” (defined as any substance with a flashpoint at or above 100 degree F.). Thus, there is a need for a paint remover composition that has a lower flammability risk yet is effective at paint removal in a relatively short period of time. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a composition having a paint removal or paint stripping effect and that meets VOC laws and reduces the flammability risk to a user. The terms “paint remover” and “patent stripper” are used interchangeably herein. In an embodiment of the invention, the paint removal composition comprises dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The composition comprising dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has a synergistic paint stripping effect. Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not