ABSTRACT
Evaporation of sec-butyl acetate solvent from lacquers and enamels is the dominant anthropogenic emission source of sec-butyl acetate into the environment. sec-Butyl acetate is produced during fermentation in the manufacture of malt vinegar. It is also a volatile component of some foods. sec-Butyl acetate has been predominantly used as a solvent for nitrocellulose lacquers and for thinners and nail enamels; from these uses, sec-butyl acetate evaporates directly into the surrounding air, thereby becoming a source of sec-butyl acetate to the environment. The volatilization half-life of sec-butyl acetate from a river one meter deep flowing 1 m/sec with a wind velocity of 3 m/sec has been estimated to be 5.4 hours; the volatilization half-life from a similar river 10-m deep has been estimated to be 7.1 days. Sec-butyl acetate will exist almost entirely in the vapor-phase in the ambient atmosphere due to its relatively high vapor pressure.
