Arkema comments on the UE PFAS restriction proposal

Arkema, like many other industrials, a contributor to the public consultation on the European restriction proposal.

A long and complex process

Regarding the European restriction, the proposal, at this stage, concerns 10,000 substances which have different profiles. It is a long and complex process, particularly scientifically speaking, that should result in different regimes depending on the substances and applications.

The Arkema Group, like many industrials, contributed to the recent public consultations, which included close to 6,000 contributions. Fluoropolymers produced without PFAS surfactants should not  fall within the scope of the restriction as they are considered not to pose risks to human health, have a favorable (eco)toxicological profile, and meet the criteria discussed by the OECD for characterizing polymers of low concern.

They are of strategic importance to European industry and sovereignty, as well as to the Green Deal, electric vehicle batteries, semiconductor chip manufacturing, 5G, hydrogen production, industrial safety and medical equipment manufacturing, water filtration, building insulation, heat pump and solar energy.

October 2024 

As of today, fluoropolymers are included in the scope of the European PFAS restriction proposal. However, for Arkema, fluoropolymers fall into a special category of PFAS as even if they structurally belong to this extremely broadly considered family, they have a favorable (eco)toxicological profile.

Thanks to substantial R&D investment, Arkema has developed an innovative, patented technology for producing fluoropolymers (known as Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF), in which fluorinated surfactants use to make fluoropolymers have been replaced by non-fluorinated, non-persistent surfactants. While our US and China plat are already producing 100% without fluorosurfactant, our French Pierre-Bénite plant will have completed its transition to these non-fluorinated, non-persistent surfactants by the end of 2024.

A favorable ecotoxicological profile

Arkema has provided information as part of the answer to the public consultation on the european proposed restriction to conclude that Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF fluoropolymers are considered not to present, based on our current knowledge, hazards and risks to health and the environment throughout their life cycle. They meet the criteria discussed by the OECD to characterize ‘Polymer of Low Concern’. They have a favorable (eco)toxicological profile and are neither bioaccumulative nor mobile. Based on available studies, they are neither genotoxic, reprotoxic nor cytotoxic. They are not biodegradable, but can be completely mineralised by incineration.

Those elements led, as part of their regulatory project:

• the British authorities to propose a specific exemption for fluoropolymers, classified in groups of low hazard or substances of low concern,
• the Canadian authorities to assess fluoropolymers in a differentiated way because "there is evidence to suggest that fluoropolymers may have significantly different exposure and hazard profiles compared to other PFAS".

International certifications

Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF is approved for certain applications according to a list of international standards particularly demanding. These include but are not limited to:

• US Food contact
• EU Food contact
• NFS standard 51 : Food equipment materials
• ISO 10993 et USP : Biocompatibility
• NFS standard 61 for potable water systems

End-of-life management

Regarding end of life, PVDF is not biodegradable. No degradation of Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF was observed during accelerated ageing tests simulating 6.25 years in landfill.

If these conclusions demonstrate that landfilling Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF is not a risk to health or the environment, Arkema favors recycling and incineration as end-of-life management methods.

The Virtucycle^® program, launched by Arkema in 2020 to stimulate post-industrial and/or post-consumer recycling, has confirmed that Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF fluoropolymers are fully mechanically recyclable at the end of their life.

Arkema is able, via its subsidiary Agiplast, to carry out this recycling. To date, recycled Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF fluoropolymers have already been sold commercially, and we are currently working with our customers to develop this process.

Through a partnership, Arkema experimented the complete incineration of PVDF in an existing industrial incinerator. The aim was to demonstrate that, with standard equipment and optimum parameters, PVDF can be completely mineralized into carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen fluoride (HF). The HF can be neutralized to fluorspar, a natural mineral deposit. This objective is achieved insofar as the DE (Destruction Efficiency) is greater than 99.99%, at temperatures in the post-combustion chamber of around 950°C.

Incineration under the right conditions, in particular temperature and oxygen, results in mineralization of the PVDF (into CO, CO₂ and HF in the volatiles).

Polymers designed to remain inert

Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF homopolymers and copolymers are used in high performance and critical industrial applications. They are designed to remain inert in harsh environments, offer flame and smoke resistance, weatherability, durability, resistance to the aggressive chemicals necessary for its applications.

Products based on Kynar^® FSF^® PVDF fluoropolymers can last 2 to 5 times longer than alternative technologies.