Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shelf-life?

2 year shelf-life if container is not opened

What are ideal temperatures for application?

Between 38 – 108 degrees F

What is the approximate coverage of the gel?

25-30 sq. ft/gal for porous concrete
50 sq. ft/gal for construction grade concrete
100-110 sq. ft/gal for smooth surface (tile, steel, glass)

How is the gel applied (sprayed, painted?)

Please first watch our informative video. We have two primary products. Decon Gel 1101 is best applied via trowel or brush and is currently commercially available. DG 1101 requires only one coat on most semi-porous and non-porous vertical surfaces.

DeconGel 1120/1121 is a sprayable version of DG 1101 aIt generally requires one coat on non-porous surfaces such as metal, glass, and most plastics and paints. It may require several coats on challenging vertical substrates, e.g. 2-3 coats on smooth construction grade concrete, 3-4 coats on mortar.

What type of trowel do I use for concrete, stainless steel, tile, etc?

Type of Trowel or Brush	Type of Surface
Trowel - 3/32 inch notch - White	Glass, stainless steel, tile, smooth surfaces
Trowel - 1/8 inch notch - Red	Smooth concrete
Trowel - 3/16 inch notch - Orange	Construction grade concrete
Trowel - 3/8 inch notch - Green	Porous rough concrete
Paint Bush	Complex geometries, uneven surfaces, and equipment

All of these supplies are available from us.

What is the difference between the versions of DeconGel?

Product Number	1101 - Gel	1120 - Spray	1121 - Spray	1102 - Gel
Application	For Radioactive or Chemical Clean-up
Applicator	Brush or Trowel	Hand Held Sprayer	Industrial Sprayer	Brush or Trowel
Appearance	Blue Liquid
Preparation	Ready to use
pH	5.0 - 7.0
Shelf Life	24 months
Decontamination %	Up to 100%
Density	8.35 - 8.65 lbs/gal
Drying Time	3 - 24 hours (depending on humidity, temperature, and film thickness)
Average Coverage	25 to 100 ft² per gallon 0.61 m2 to 2.45 m2 per liter	25 to 75 ft² per gallon 0.61 m2 to 1.84 m2 per liter		25 to 100 ft² per gallon 0.61 m2 to 2.45 m2 per liter
Cleaning of Pump	Pump not needed	Pump rinsed with water between applications		Pump not needed
Viscosity	9,000 – 19,000 cps	2,000 – 3,000 cps	3,000 – 7,000 cps	9,000 – 19,000 cps
Application Best For	Floors, equipment, glove boxes, tools, porous surfaces, spills, etc.	Vertical surfaces, difficult to reach areas, large surface areas including non-porous surfaces	Vertical surfaces, difficult to reach areas, large surface areas including porous surfaces	Floors, equipment, glove boxes, tools, porous surfaces, spills, etc.
# of Coats Needed Per Application	1 -2	2 - 4	1 - 4	1 - 2

What is the difference between 1101, 1102, 1120, 1121?

How long does it take for the DeconGel to cure?  

Drying time depends on a combination of the ambient humidity, temperature, type of substrate and applied wet film thickness. This can take from as little time as an hour for thin coats in a dry environment with plenty of airflow, to overnight or longer if thicker coats are applied in humid environments. Dry times exceeding 24 hours may be required for the film thicknesses required for good peel performance on bare concrete, wood and other highly porous substrates. Applying supplemental heat, airflow or dehumidification can speed up the drying time.

How is DeconGel disposed of?

In general the peeled film must be disposed of according to the requirements for disposal of the contaminant type and concentration in the film. The dried gel does not require disposal as “hazardous waste” and the chelating agents are present at < 1wt% in the liquid gel (as supplied) and < 5wt% in the dried gel and have not required treatment prior to disposal per the NRC Part 61 Low Level Waste disposal criteria.

Use of the gel in the United States that resulted in the dried gel containing radioactive material and has been disposed of without any further treatment via:

• Disposal as low level waste at Energy Solutions’ Clive Site
• Incinerated as low level waste at Energy Solutions’ Bear Creek Facility.

For Energy Solutions’s Clive Site, the waste package acceptance is based upon the DeconGel’s clean-up application and ensuring the generator appropriately characterizes the waste upon which DeconGel is applied.  Below are the main conditions for acceptance.

• Chelating agents in the waste package shipped for disposal must be less than 0.1% for disposal at the LLRW embankment.  For waste packages containing chelating agents greater than 0.1% and less than 22% may be disposed at EnergySolutions' mixed waste embankment.  Waste packages with chelating agents exceeding 22% by weight are prohibited for disposal at EnergySolutions.
• Generators must adequately characterize the waste to ensure any added contamination to the DeconGel does not change its regulatory designation (e.g., hazardous, PCBs, etc.). EnergySolutions can accept waste containing RCRA hazardous constituents, PCBs, and other non-radiological contaminants but the waste must be appropriately described in the waste profile prior to shipment.
• Liquid waste must be described in the waste profile and shipped to the mixed waste facility.

How stable is the gel, once it has been stripped off a surface? This is important as it is likely the sites receiving the waste will need to understand how the gel degrades over time.

The gel is stable in a sealed container/bag. It can dissolve over time in the presence of water.

What if I have problems removing DeconGel?

A variety of tools can help you in removing DeconGe.l A razor blade to score the tough film on 3 dimensional objects like pipes makes peeling easy. Buddy tabs (tape as shown in the video) can help start the peel. A simple wooden paint stirrer available at any house paint store (as shown in the video) is an excellent tool for starting the peel.

If the DeconGel is too thin to peel, apply a 2nd layer of decongel, allow it to dry, and then peel.