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Bromine is utilized in multiple applications and industries. Elemental Bromine is liquid at room temperature with high vapor pressure. It is a strong oxidizer and accidental exposure to it without protection may cause irritation, burns and poisoning, depending on the severity of exposure. Bromine leakage also poses an environmental hazard.
Elemental Bromine has high vapor pressure. Therefore, a bromine leak demands rapid response time to contain the spill and prevent contamination from spreading.
Currently available procedures in the event of a Bromine leak emergency includes engaging in a complex and time-consuming activity requiring several chemical substances that must work in parallel. The liquid Bromine phase is often treated with Lime Ca(OH)2 and water, while the gaseous Bromine phase is treated with ammonia gas which itself may result in a secondary environmental pollution risk resulting from the ammonia.
Emergency teams must include several well-trained members to treat the gaseous and liquid phases of a spill simultaneously. The treatment requires close proximity to, and contact with the origin of the leak and requires the emergency teams to wear appropriate personal safety gear including special protection suits, protection masks and respiratory aid.
Bromine spills require an immediate response.
To enable a prompt response in the event of an emergency, ICL’s R&D team developed an innovative new product, BromoQuel™. The patent pending product utilizes a new method to treat emergency spills or leaks of halogen (bromine or chlorine) by using an aqueous solution containing a combination of special chemicals.
BromoQuel™ causes the free Bromine to become a complex salt, minimizing the Bromine’s spread with an end-product that can be easily collected.
BromoQuel™ can be applied to both liquid and/or gas phase Bromine contamination by applying it directly onto the Bromine source that must be isolated. BromoQuel™ enables the rapid neutralization of the halogen and causes the free Bromine to become complexed into a Bromine-containing salt. Complex Bromine does not present high vapor pressure, and therefore is considered safely contained and can be removed in a safe and efficient manner.
