New DuPont products offer early response to PFOA problem
07/02/2007
US-based DuPont has launched a new range of surface-protection fluorotelomers that it claims will enable it to remove almost all trace levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from its surface-protection products, including those it offers to the leather industry.
This new product line comes in response to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s decision last year to implement regulations forcing chemical manufacturers to reduce the amount of PFOA in their products by 95% by 2010, and to eliminate them completely by 2015. According to DuPont, its new range—the LX Platform—already exceeds the 2010 target.
While the company is making the LX Platform immediately available across its entire line of fluorotelomers for carpet care, paper packaging and the stone and concrete industries, the new range will initially cover only 80% of its fluorotelomer line for the leather industry. But speaking to www.leatherbiz.com, Market and Business director, John Moriarty, said that the entire tanning product line would be changed over to the new fluorotelomers before the end of 2008.
The new LX Platform Products—based on existing DuPont Teflon, Zonyl and Foraperle chemistries—are expected to be drop-in replacements for current DuPont products and do not require regulatory re-qualification.
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