Maritime

About - Development

Top-Performing “Green” Cleaning Technologies

Since 2008, Custom Compounders has taken measured steps to create highly-effective and affordable maritime cleaning products with “green” chemistries. We have proven that remarkable performance benefits can be achieved, worker exposure considerations can be minimized, and air quality results can be improved for all.

With so many options for your engine degreasing applications, finding a product that is recognized for safety, performance, worker exposure, and environmental concerns has been a difficult challenge…until now! We believe L-44® products will not only meet your expectations for performance, we are confident in their economies of use and certain our Safer Choice labeled product will alleviate your safety worries for your valued workers and our planet.

Our Goals For L-44® Product Formulations

From the beginning, we focused our attention on the river transportation industry due to its dependence on diesel power plants to move the tugs and barges specific to their operations. Our goal was to develop a formulation designed for safety that would provide tug and marine operations with superior performance, and still be “friendly” for the worker and environment.

Our goals were as follows:

  • Formulate a degreaser offering superior performance advantages.
  • Substantiate its cleaning ability through required testing protocols.
  • And most importantly, verify the product formulation for safety, worker, and environmental concerns as mandated by the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice program.

Development & Certification Process

After nearly two years of research and technical cooperation with outside expertise, we finalized the formulation for L-44® ECD. We were honored and particularly privileged to receive industry participation in testing product efficiency from a number of river operations.

With the cooperation of an industry fleet operation, the final formulation was evaluated for performance against a nationally recognized name brand product. After six months of field trials, the final formulation was successfully approved and ultimately presented to the Safer Choice Program for review under Safer Choice’s Standard for Safer Cleaning Products.

To qualify and be certified by the Safer Choice Program:

  1. A product undergoes rigorous evaluation involving a detailed submission of the ingredients to an approved third party profiler for review of the toxicology concerns as they apply to both human health and the environment.
  2. Additionally, the results of performance/cleaning efficiency evaluations specific to the product’s intended use are submitted. These rigorous evaluation criteria are mandated by the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Program to ensure the manufacturing and use of products with safer ingredients also meet high-performance standards.

We are pleased that our company and L-44® line of products have been honored with a Partnership in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice Program. L-44® ECD, L-44® ECDB, L-44® OSD degreasers and cleaners meet the stringent health, safety, and performance criteria, crowning these products with the Safer Choice label.

What Does Safer Choice Really Mean?

When you see the Safer Choice label on a product, it means that EPA’s scientific review team has evaluated every ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and allowed only the safest ingredients that meet stringent EPA criteria to be used.

Safer Choice labeled products do not contain known chemicals of potential concern such as carcinogens, reproductive, and developmental toxicants. Even minor product components like dyes and fragrances are screened for safety.

Our right of use for the U.S. EPA/Safer Choice logo simply proves that L-44® products meet all considerations for environmental and human health characteristics based on currently available scientific understandings. Recognition of any product does not constitute an endorsement by the EPA.

Once we received the EPA Safer Choice designation, we were able to pursue and acquired VGP Aquatic Toxicity and Biodegradability certifications, as well as the Ocular Exposure Study for all products bearing our L-44® U.S. Patent Office Registered Trademark.

L-44® OSD and SSC Soogee are also certified and recognized by CleanGredients, GreenBlue, NSF International, and The Safer Choice Team.

A Better Planet for Us All

We are honored by the willingness of all involved to help us formulate the most effective, safe industrial and engine degreasers and outdoor cleaners, and help us get EPA Safer Choice labeling. Cultivating this type of team effort is crucial to the betterment of our working environments and a better life.

We have seen how cooperation between industry, manufacturing, and regulatory agencies works together to achieve a common goal for safer chemicals and a less toxic environment. This is not just a nice feature for our product; it exemplifies the value of the process; a cooperative effort of many that results in a better product, a better environment, and when combined, dramatically supports an even greater value – a better planet for us all.

Our team at Custom Compounders is honored to share our L-44® products with you, our valued customers, working together toward a greener future. Contact us today, 855-638-8661.

 

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What People Say

  • “Our company enjoys a very special supplier relationship with the Henry A. Petter Supply Company of Paducah Ky. To have our L-44® products associated with this historic and respected 105 year service provider to the river and marine industry is a an enormous privilege and advantage for our company. We are humbled for our association with Petter’s known reputation in the industry”

    Henry A. Petter Supply

  • “Thanks again for the opportunity to test your L-44® degreaser in our harbor fleeting operations. I now see why you had enough confidence in your product to offer a free sample for testing. Boy, were we pleased with the results! It’s nice to see a degreaser that not only cleans well, but also one that is safe for our employees and our equipment. Thanks again for opportunity to test your degreaser.” You now have a new happy customer!

    Terry F. Ferebee
    VP Vessel Operations, Helena Marine Service, Inc.

  • “I wanted to take a minute to thank you and Custom Compounders for putting out the L44ECD degreaser. Our crews use your degreaser on a daily basis and feel that it preforms very well. As the manager of our facility I appreciate the fact that your degreaser is user friendly, environmentally friendly, and meets or exceeds our government standards. I regularly pass the information on L44 along to others that we work with in the industry including fuel and oil suppliers.”

    Karl Berthelot
    Manager BMI Ste. Gen.

  • “I have worked for Luhr Bros. Inc. for 26 yrs on the boats and in their office. I came in the office in 1996 as a Safety Manager. We have been using the “L-44 ECD” Degreaser for about 4 yrs. From my perspective as a Safety Professional, the L-44 “ECD” Degreaser we are using is better than any other degreasers we have used by far. With “L-44 ECD” Degreaser we have an environmentally safe product, and no crew members having to attend medical facilities due to being burned by direct skin contact. Also it does a great job cleaning our engines and not fading the paint job. I encourage all the river companies to give it a try.”

    Bill Klingel
    Luhr Bros Inc. Marine Division

  • “We enjoy an honored privilege for the opportunity extended our company by Joe Brantley of AEP River Operations to have L-44® ECD Degreaser evaluated as part of their corporate “Go Green” mission aboard the mv. Donna Rushing. We are uniquely indebted to AEP, and for the detailed efforts of Rob Korte and Jim Wilson for their testing reviews of L-44® ECD on multiple tugboats of the AEP fleet."

    Project Go Green

  • “I have been using degreasers for many years and have never had the quality of degreaser that I am now using with the L-44 ECD. It reduces the amount of time I have to spend in the engine room cleaning which allows me more time to concentrate on my other duties. The younger generation of engineers are going to be spoiled by using a higher quality of degreaser than we had to use in the past. They will spend less time cleaning and no burning or skin irritation when it comes in contact with your skin.”

    Rick Myers, Chief Engineer, M/V Twyla Luhr