The Sirius effect:

We’d like to have a product line where everything is sustainably produced, biodegradable, eco-friendly. However, the reality is that not everything can be made that way. Concessions must sometimes be made, and this is true of phosphates. Sirius acknowledges the damage they can do, but we can also try to minimize their environmental effects.

Sirius’s main goal is to minimize environmental impact – and yet, phosphates remain on our product list. Neither the production nor use of phosphates are environmentally-friendly, and currently there is no way to make them less problematic.  Phosphate production requires mining , and all of the environmental issues that causes, while using phosphates means they ultimately end up in the water, causing eutrophication.

And yet, phosphate chemistry is vital to the many processes that modern life relies on: building detergents, water treatment, fertilizers, and food preservation.  It is a critical element in the building of bones and teeth in both humans and animals alike, and it is often added to animal feed.  Leather tanning, printing, and mining and drilling all require phosphates in some way. The unique chemistry of phosphorus and its ability to form unusual structures means that substitutes are difficult to find, and most of these compounds do not have functional replacements. Without phosphates, societies would not have developed as they did.

The reality is that still, we need phosphates. For Sirius, keeping the safest phosphates in our product line allows us to provide customers with options, and in some cases, point them to less-damaging phosphate compounds, or lower-phosphate compounds that they might not have considered. Not all phosphates are equal.  Some have a synergistic effect with other compounds, meaning that you can use less of each one, or are better-suited to the extremes of temperatures and pH that are common in boilers or in water treatment plants. Most of Sirius’s Britephos, Briteframe, and Britequest lines of  products are for water treatments.

Is this ideal? Of course not. But the situation is somewhat better than it could be, and sometimes, that will have to do. Until the day a suitable phosphate replacement is found, Sirius will continue to provide customers with insights on safely using phosphates, or using less-damaging compounds. And should such a replacement come to the market, you can be assured that we’ll have it.

© Copyright Sirius International Detergents BV | Sirius International Water Treatment BV

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