Polymer Additives | Business Unit

Flame retardants

With brominated and phosphorus-based solutions, LANXESS offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of organic flame retardants in the world. Our newly developed polymeric and reactive flame retardants can reduce the release of additives from the polymers, thus contributing to environmental and health protection without compromising fire safety.

Please visit our website for more information on this topic.

Due to their high efficiency brominated flame retardants are frequently used in the construction and electronics industries.

In addition to highly efficient fire protection, phosphorus-based flame retardants offer further advantages such as good processability and high elasticity in PU and PVC systems.
These additives are used in the manufacture of flame-retardant articles, including insulation, cables, printed circuit boards, foils, tarpaulins, floor coverings, seat covers, and fire protection applications.

Products: Emerald Innovation&#;, Firemaster®, Levagard®, Disflamoll®, Reofos®

6.1.1. Scope of the present study and uncertainties related to use categories

The present study covers many past and current uses of PFAS. The inventory is not exhaustive and it also contains uncertainties. One area of uncertainty comes from harmonizing entries to the use categories from different sources. This is especially relevant when comparing use amounts, because the reported amounts from the different databases are related to more or less specific use categories that may be defined differently in different databases. Although not quite as critical, this was also a relevant point for the ESI-1. Here, information on specific uses of PFAS was assigned to subcategories and information on broader uses to the main use categories. Still, there were some use categories (especially from the Chemical Data Reporting database under the TSCA) that were so broad that we were not able to assign them to any category in our list. Examples are &#;surface active agents in all other basic inorganic chemical manufacturing&#;, or &#;functional fluids in wholesale and retail trade&#;. The PFAS listed under such categories and their quantities were not, therefore, considered in the present study.

Another area of uncertainty originates from unidentified uses. We found, for example, that PFAS are used in climbing ropes.72 It therefore cannot be excluded that they are also used in climbing harnesses, but no information was found on this. We did not have the capacity to conduct interviews with industry representatives who might have revealed additional information. We were similarly limited when it came to evaluating the copious amount of information about PFAS uses, for example in reports, scientific papers and patents. Therefore, not all PFAS uses might have been identified in the present study.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Boraychem.

In the case of patents in particular, a great amount of information is available, but it should be noted that only some of the PFAS included in patents currently are likely used on the market. In addition to these uncertainties, some of the use category-specific information in the SPIN database is CBI, meaning that we may have not seen all categories. It would be desirable if such information was no longer confidential in the future, in order to inform consumers, users, and regulators.

Nevertheless, the SPIN database is a very valuable source of information and it would be much easier to compile such inventories of uses if other countries had product registries like the Nordic Countries. Without such product registries, the compilation of uses and the substances used remains difficult and lengthy. It would also be advantageous if the uses under REACH were more precisely named. Current categories like &#;processing aids at industrial sites&#; or &#;manufacture of chemicals&#; are very broad and thus difficult to include.

An important question is whether the majority of the use categories is covered in the present study or whether important use categories are still missing. It is difficult to answer such a question quantitatively, but a qualitative indication is possible when the use categories of the SPIN database are compared to the categories that were already identified. Both categories match very well; only three categories had to be added to accommodate data from the SPIN database in the ESI-1 appropriately. These three categories were &#;machinery and equipment&#;, &#;manufacture of basic metals&#; and &#;manufacture of fabricated metal products&#;. In the latter two categories, it is not clear what PFAS are used for and why. &#;Manufacture of basic metals&#; could be linked to mining, and &#;manufacture of fabricated metal products&#; could include the coating of metal surfaces e.g. for knives in food production. But both categories are so broad that it is unclear what is really meant. The category &#;machinery and equipment&#; could include wire and cable insulations and lubricants. It is known that PFAS are used in both of these categories. However, &#;machinery and equipment&#; could also contain other uses of which we are not aware. The Chemical Data Reporting under TCSA mentions the use of PFAS in or as functional fluids in the sector &#;machinery manufacturing&#;. This is still relatively vague and could include heat transfer agents, lubricants or any other fluid used in machines. However, with the exception of these three categories, all specific information from the SPIN database could be classified very well into the existing categories of the present study. Overall, we assume that there are no major gaps in the general use categories. However, it is quite possible that subcategories are missing. Among the uses of which we are aware, there may also be some uses where PFAS are no longer employed.

To improve the list of uses in the future, there are several possibilities. Firstly, one could try to get access to product registries of as many countries as possible. Unfortunately, not all product registers are as easily accessible as those of the Nordic countries and many developing countries do not have such a register. The list could also be extended with information from REACH registration dossiers. These dossiers include information of uses and tonnage bands expected to be used at the time of registration. Interviews with manufacturers of products could also generate more information. However, we know from experiences with past projects that manufacturers often want the interviewers to sign a non-disclosure agreement before the interview which prevents using the information obtained in publications. The information from such interviews could still provide some indication as to what kind of information to look for in the public domain. The same is true for the market reports. They can give a clue for what to look for in the public domain (given that they often contain no references). A discouraging factor for researchers who may want to use market reports as data sources is that the companies who generate them often sell them for extortionate sums (i.e. several thousand US dollars) and that most of them are not based on thorough research.73 Another approach could be to use artificial intelligence to systematically search product sales/industry magazines for words or phrases, such as &#;fluor&#;.

Want more information on Corrosion Inhibition Additives For LCD Core Panel? Feel free to contact us.