Where Soda Blasting Can Be Used

Soda Blasting Advantages

• Cleaning & De-Coating in One Step
  Standard abrasive blasting is a dirty process, often loading and even embedding the surface with contaminants (grease, oil, tar & abrasive particles) in the process of removing the coating. Recycled abrasives compound this problem by loading increased amounts of contaminants into the substrate. Soda blasting media effectively de-coats and cleans the substrate in one step; producing a level of cleanliness not seen with most processes. The media is not reusable, thus eliminating the issue of blasting with re-used media. Coating adhesion relies heavily on surface cleanliness and a surface profile has been used to offset this lack of cleanliness.

• Unique Cutting Action
  Soda blasting media offers the unique properties of sodium bicarbonate, the primary ingredient. The softness (Mohs hardness scale of 2.4) and friable nature of this crystal produces a unique cutting action with little or no effect on most substrates. For example, thick coatings can be removed from glass without any etching effect. With proper care, delicate substrates can be cleaned without damage.

• No Pre-Cleaning Required
  For projects where the coating is covered with grease, carbon, salt or other contaminates, traditional methods require the coating to be fully cleaned before blasting. This is required so that the contaminants on the surface of the coating are not driven through the coating and into the surface of the substrate, causing future coating failure.

• No Need to Re-Profile Steel
  Soda Blasting will not profile steel. When an operator removes a coating from a metal surface, he or she exposes the existing anchor pattern under the coating. Unless corrosion has occurred, there is no need to re-profile the surface.

• Reduced Solid Waste
  Soda blast media can be dissolved in fresh water. By dissolving the media and filtering out the contaminates, the solution can generally be discharged to POTW treatment systems or open waterways, with proper discharge permits. Waste volume is generally reduced to less than 5% of the original waste volume. With increasing landfill costs and liabilities, this advantage becomes more important every day.

• Natural Rust Inhibitor
  As long as SodaClean Maintenance Plus is on a ferrous metal surface, rust will not form. For rust to form, free moisture and an acidic condition must exist. In most cases, free moisture combines with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form carbonic acid. This acid releases a free metal (ferrous) ion, which combines with oxygen (oxidizes) to form rust. SodaClean Maintenance Plus buffers the acids, prevents the release of free metal ions and prevents rust.

• Reduced Clean-Up costs
  SodaClean Maintenance Plus blast media performs roughly the same level of work as sand blasting while producing 1/5 to 1/7 of the total waste volume. Although media costs per square foot are higher, site clean up and residue disposal are significantly lower. The net balance is that total costs per square foot are about the same for both techniques.

• Benefits In Waste Disposal
  In most non-hazardous applications, the residue from blasting with Soda, can be rinsed into sanitary drains or sewers, greatly reducing the clean-up time. Sodium bicarbonate is actually beneficial to waste water treatment systems. For industrial treatment systems, where chemical neutralization is a major cost in water treatment.

• Increased Worker Safety
  The safety of sodium bicarbonate to workers is well understood, since it has been in use for some 160 years. The bicarbonate buffer system is the major extra cellular buffer for the human body, thus sodium bicarbonate is part of the body's normal chemistry. Sodium bicarbonate is not toxic via ingestion, inhalation or dermal contact, nor is it a skin or eye irritant as defined by EPA and OSHA.

• Removes Odors
  The same odor absorbing effect seen in your refrigerator at home is present when blasting with soda media. It not only removes the contaminates, it also reduces the unfriendly odors.

• Replaces Dangerous Solvents
  Soda blasting when applied wet is an excellent de-greasing medium that eliminates the use of solvents in most cleaning processes.

• Does Not Produce Sparks
  Soda Blasting will not produce thermal sparks and is suitable for use in explosion environments as long as proper grounding techniques are used to prevent a static charge build-up.

• No Residue Problems In Small Passageways
  Soda blasting media is 100% water soluble. It can be used to clean critical engine components including those with small passageways. Once cleaned, the baking soda residue can be thoroughly rinsed off by dissolving in water. Traditional blast materials are not water soluble. Left after cleaning, they can pack into small passageways and possibly damage an engine while in operation.

• Reduce Surface Acids
  As a strong buffer for acids and alkalis, Soda blasting eliminates acidic conditions on the surface of the substrate. For conditions with high acid levels, acid rain or boiler fly ash, blasting with Soda will reduce coating failures.