Replacing 1,1,1-Trichloroethane With Other Chlorinated Solvents

摘要

Cleaning and degreasing metal parts before plating or coating is an important step in the manufacturing process. For a large percentage of companies, and for a long time, this has meant vapor degreasing with 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA, also known as methyl chloroform or MCF). Times are changing, however. Production of TCA for emissive applications, such as degreasing, ceases in all developed countries as of the last day of 1995, leaving many manufacturers in a quandary. Until recently, the Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, was the only U.S. chemical producer to manufacture a complete line of chlorinated solvents, including TCA and carbon tetrachloride, which have been implicated in the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. As of April 1994, the company discontinued the production of TCA. Dow and other suppliers continue to actively pursue answers to the solvent alternatives problem.