romMax technology is covered by a number of patent applications. In the late 1990s, Nalco applied for and received a patent for its version of stabilized bromine. The process is quite simple. Sodium bromide is oxidized with sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and subsequently stabilized using a nitrogen-sulfur based organic acid, which is the typical stabilizer for all stabilized bromine formulations and processes. The active bromine (reported as active Cl
) is 6.0%. The process has several major drawbacks.Due to the alkaline conditions created by mixing bleach and sodium bromide, a considerable amount of bromate ion is created, which is a suspected carcinogen and is tightly regulated by the EPA in drinking water, lakes, rivers, and water table aquifers. Secondly, its uppermost concentration is limited by the strength of the commercial bleach (12-15% as NaOCl) that is used to make the product. Furthermore, it is well known that bleach is an equimolar solution of NaOCl and NaCl. As a result, a large excess of inert NaCl (salt) is inadevertently added and co-produced in the reaction. Attempts to increase the strength of commercial quantities above about 6.0-6.1% active Cl
are restricted due to this inert salt. (At higher concentrations it would precipitate NaCl salt and other inert by-products in the drum or container).Also in the late 1990s the Albemarle Corporation was able to raise the bar on the upper limits of active stabilized bromine to about 6.8% (as active Cl
). They use a process based on bromine chloride. Today's version probably is based on co-feeding liquid bromine and chlorine gas into the process reactor, and subsequently stabilizing the product using the same nitrogen-sulfur based organic acid as mentioned above. The subsequent patents were issued to Albemarle on their process due to the fact that it was probably sufficiently different from processes disclosed by Nalco. Albemarle's product raised the physical stability characteristics of the finished product to allow a commercial product introduction that was about 12% more concentrated than Nalco's product. Still, the active Cl of Albemarle's product is limited to about 6.8% as Cl, again due to salt and inert by-product precipitation.In 2002 Enviro Tech discovered a completely new way to make stabilized bromine. The process created almost 40% fewer salts and inert by-products that plague all manufacturers of stabilized bromine products. The end-product is almost identical to Nalco's and Albemarle's, with the exception that we are able to stabilize the bromine at 10.2% (as Cl
). This equates to 67% and 48% more active bromine than Nalco or Albemarle, respectively.Enviro Tech's process is quite ingenious. Sodium bromide is oxidized by a solid known as trichlor (trichloroisocyanuric acid), which is 91% available chlorine. The trick was to utilize the trichlor and extract its chlorine in a liquid process. Considering trichlor is only very marginally soluble in water makes the process that much more unique. Because trichlor is solid, no extraneous water is introduced to dilute the product as is the case when using 12-15% NaOCl bleach. Also, trichlor contains no solubility-limiting inert NaCl salts. The by-product of the Enviro Tech process is cyanuric acid and/or sodium cyanurate, which is insoluble and completely filtered out of solution. It is then washed and sold back to the chlorinated iso manufacturers to make more trichlor. Nothing is wasted, and the end-product is chemically and functionally the same as the two other products on the market…with the exception that BromMax is the best value for the dollar and is the most cost-competitive.
Our first patent application was published by the US-PTO and is available on the link below for your convenience. Enviro Tech has two more patents applications on this subject matter that have yet to be published or publicly disclosed. We will add them to the list as they become posted on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office web site. Enviro Tech's intellectual property for stabilized bromine has been filed in almost every progressive country in the world, so no matter where you may go, BromMax will be available.
In 2008 a new product has been introduced to the stabilized bromine market by a company called Justeq, LLC. The product is NOT stabilized bromine. It is stabilized CHLORINE with unreacted sodium bromide added to the product. Nalco evaluated this product extensively, as did Great Lakes (Chemtura) and other companies. Nalco has several references to this alternative product in a patent listed below, for your reading convenience.
BromMax Patent #1 Issued 5-16-06 (2.75MB)
2nd Bromine UA20050249825A1 (1.7MB)
 Enviro Tech Chemical Services, Inc. |
customerservice@stabilizedbromine.com |
(209) 581-9576 |
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