Fluorinated vs. Non-Fluorinated Surfactants

Why We Need Responsible Manufacturing

Contrary to popular belief, fluorinated byproducts are created even when using a non-fluorinated surfactant.

Fluoropolymers are essential materials used in high-performance applications across numerous industries. They power the largest industries and value chains and touch nearly every sector of the economy. Their highly unique combination of properties gives them unmatched levels of performance, but these specialized polymers often require surfactants as polymerization aids during manufacturing.

As for those surfactants, there’s a common misconception about non-fluorinated surfactants (NFS) being more sustainable than the fluorinated variety. Contrary to what you may hear, NFS do not significantly reduce PFAS emissions. In fact, they still create fluorinated byproducts which may be identified through targeted and non-targeted analysis. A recent competitive test of fluoropolymers made with NFS showed approximately 100x more fluorinated byproducts with largely unknown hazard profiles compared to fluoropolymers made with a fluorinated surfactant.

Although these byproducts can then be abated responsibly using best-in-class control technologies, it's clear to us that NFS alone is not the sustainable solution. Given the ever-evolving regulatory landscape, responsible manufacturing is.

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Highlights

Responsible Manufacturing

We manufacture our materials conscientiously in ways that incorporate circularity, limit environmental impact, lower natural resource consumption, mitigate emissions, and keep our communities safe.

Abatement Technology

Our research explores innovative methods to address unintended byproducts. In doing so, we’re taking meaningful steps to reduce fluorinated chemical emissions to air and water by 99% or greater by 2030.

Byproduct Analysis

We perform targeted and non-targeted analyses to identify both anticipated and unexpected compounds.

THE FUTURE OF RESPONSIBLE MANUFACTURING

As part of our unwavering commitment to responsible manufacturing and environmental stewardship, we have taken meaningful action to reduce emissions from our fluoropolymer manufacturing, such as implementing state-of-the-art technologies. By leveraging our expertise, we have optimized abatement technologies to minimize fluorinated air emissions and implemented advanced solutions to target water emissions.

This has resulted in a 59% reduction in fluorinated organic chemical emissions from our manufacturing processes since 2018.

We know fluorinated, partially-fluorinated, and non-fluorinated surfactants (NFS) all generate byproducts when used in the fluoropolymer manufacturing process. That’s why we believe NFS are not a holistic solution, responsible manufacturing is.