PHILADELPHIA – Arkema has announced its intention to introduce Kynar 500® PVDF resin made using a new fluorosurfactant-free process. Perfluorinated surfactants, such as perfluorooctanoic acid, have come under scrutiny by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are subject to an EPA voluntary stewardship program seeking reductions in emissions and product content levels.

 

“As the leader in this industry, we wanted to proactively develop a way to completely eliminate the use of these fluorinated surfactants in our manufacturing process,” said Erwoan Pezron, Arkema’s Worldwide Managing Director for Fluoropolymers.

 

Arkema’s recently completed expansion of its Calvert City, KY, facility and its recently announced Changshu, China, plant will feature this new technology in its production of Kynar 500 PVDF. Arkema switched to its fluorosurfactant-free Kynar 500 PVDF in November 2008.

 

Kynar 500 PVDF is a special grade of fluoropolymer resin used by industrial paint manufacturers as the base resin in long-life coatings for aluminum, galvanized steel and aluminized steel. Applications include metal roofing, siding, window and door frames, wall panels, and other miscellaneous metal trim and components.