Requirements and Development of New Chromium Mist Inhibitors

According to the report submitted by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection) to the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention in 2008, China used approximately 25 tons of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)-based chromium mist inhibitors (calculated as pure substances) annually at that time, mainly including potassium perfluorooctanesulfonate (FC-80) and tetraethylammonium perfluorooctanesulfonate (FT-248).

As we all know, PFOS-based products were listed as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) by the Stockholm Convention in May 2009, becoming the first organofluorine chemical recognized as a POP. China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment also clearly stipulated in Document No. 21 of 2014 that the production, circulation, use, import and export of PFOS and its salts are prohibited in China. However, through the coordination and efforts of industry associations such as the Electroplating Sub-Association of China Surface Engineering Association, the Cleaner Production Steering Committee of China Surface Engineering Association, and the Beijing Surface Engineering Association, considering the lack of suitable alternative products for chromium mist inhibitors in China at that time, the use of PFOS and its salts as chromium mist inhibitors in the metal electroplating industry was temporarily included in the scope of exempted uses. This exempted use was terminated by the Conference of the Parties in March 2019, leaving only hard metal electroplating in closed-loop systems as a specific exempted use. China's electroplating industry is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, which face great difficulties in carrying out process transformation for closed-loop systems.

Both the "PFOS Alternatives for Non-Decorative Hard Chromium Plating" published by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011 and the white paper on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) released by the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) of the United States in 2019 agree that perfluorohexylethanesulfonic acid-based fluorosurfactants maintain chromium mist inhibition effects comparable to PFOS. Meanwhile, they will not become or transform into POPs, making them environmentally friendly new chromium mist inhibitors.

In summary, the development of new fluorosurfactants for use as chromium mist inhibitors has become an urgent need for China's chrome plating industry.

Reference: Application of Fluorosurfactants as Chromium Mist Inhibitors. Organic Fluorine Industry, Issue 4, 2020.

Wuhan Bright chemical can produce 20 tons of perfluorohexylethanesulfonic acid (fluorine-containing chromium mist inhibitor) per month. The product features stable quality, excellent performance and reasonable price.

Product Details: Perfluorohexylethanesulfonic acid (CAS No.: 27619-97-2)

 

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