AGC develops surfactants-free fluoropolymer manufacturing process

EXTON, Pa.—AGC Inc. has unveiled an innovative process to manufacture fluoropolymers without surfactants, a move that will be key as PFAS chemicals continue to come under closer scrutiny.

AGC is working on the new technology to achieve a continuous and stable supply of fluoropolymers, which the company emphasizes is "indispensable for the realization of a carbon-neutral and digital society."

In addition, AGC reports this technology is specifically for manufacturing fluoropolymers, within a variety of fluorinated products. Using this technology, fluoropolymers, which are conventionally manufactured using fluorinated surfactants, can be produced without using any surfactants.

Fluoropolymers produced using this technology demonstrate the same properties as those of conventional products such as durability, along with heat, cold and chemical resistance. The amount of individual non-polymeric fluorinated byproducts contained in a product can be controlled to less than 25 ppb.

AGC is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, The company manufactures glass, electronic displays and chemical products. Exton-based AGC Chemicals Americas is a global subsidiary of AGC Inc. The Americas unit also maintains manufacturing operations in Thorndale, Pa., a satellite sales office in Brazil, and warehouses throughout North America.

Jiro Nishino, the chemicals company's general manager of the Performance Chemicals General Division said trends on regulatory discussions on PFAS in the European Union have caused a growing demand for the development of manufacturing technologies that do not require fluorinated surfactants as polymerization.

"In response to market demand, we have developed this technology to manufacture fluoropolymers without using fluorinated surfactants, or any surfactants," Nishino said. "We do not think using surfactants would be a disadvantage, but believe not meeting the market demands would be a disadvantage to our business."

The manufacturing process is currently in development. AGC is estimating it will start using the new technology by 2030. The company still is reviewing its locations where the new manufacturing process will be used.

"We are targeting the start of commercial production using this technology in the late 2020s, no later than 2030, but have not yet determined the specific timeline," Nishino said. "We will proceed with the development and commercialization process gradually, taking into account feedback from our customers.

"Our current fluoropolymer products manufactured through emulsion polymerization comply with the laws and regulations of the countries in which we manufacture and sell those products, and are safe to use."

While the technology is specifically for manufacturing fluoropolymers within a variety of fluorinated products, AGC said, theoretically, the new process applies to all types of fluoropolymer products. The company plans to try the technology for each of its fluoropolymer products one at a time.

Some fluoropolymers conventionally have been manufactured through emulsion polymerization using fluorinated surfactants as polymerization aids. There has been a growing demand for the development of manufacturing technologies and processes that would eliminate the need for fluorinated surfactants.

According to AGC, some of the other currently developed technologies using non-fluorinated surfactants have encountered issues, such as the generation of fluorinated byproducts and inferior performance of products compared to those manufactured through conventional technologies.

"It is difficult to specify which types of fluoropolymers are produced through emulsion polymerization, as production methods may vary among companies," Nishino said. "However, some kinds of PTFE, for example, are produced through emulsion polymerization and this technology is specifically for manufacturing fluoropolymers through emulsion polymerization, within a variety of fluorinated products."

To illustrate with typical examples of these manufacturing methods, the chemical firm said PTFE granular is produced using suspension polymerization, while PTFE dispersion is produced through emulsion polymerization.

"Among the three restricted PFAS, including PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA, AGC has never engaged in the production of PFOS and PFHxS, and we had already ceased the production and sale of PFOA in 2015, prior to its restriction under the POPs Convention and the Japanese legislation," Nishino told Rubber News. "To fulfill our corporate social responsibility, we are working to minimize environmental impacts resulting from our business activities and contribute to resolving global environmental issues through our products based on scientific evidence."

Fluoropolymers are used in multiple applications in various fields, including semiconductors, automobiles, electronics and energy, among others. AGC said it will "continue to provide safe, reliable, and highly essential products and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society."