A fact-based perspective on PFAS performance, emissions and regulatory reality
At present, neither the UK nor the EU has legislation in place that directly restricts PFAS usage. That said, regulatory change is being considered. In January 2023, five European nations; Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, put forward a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) calling for limitations on PFAS.¹ ²
Against this regulatory backdrop, many organisations involved in vapour degreasing and precision cleaning are being encouraged to move towards so-called “PFAS-free” alternatives. The underlying assumption is straightforward: PFAS-free must be safer, more sustainable, and future-proof. In practice, that assumption often fails when assessed against real chemistry, real emissions behaviour, and validated industrial performance.¹ ²
This article examines why PFAS still matter for precision cleaning and critical industry applications, addressing how low-fluorine formulations perform in demanding environments, where PFAS-free solvents fall short, and how current and proposed regulation recognises the critical nature of precision cleaning processes.¹²
SF80: low-fluorine vapour degreasing for precision cleaning applications¹
Precision Cleaning Applications
Opteon™ SF80, as supplied by Fraser Technologies, is formulated with a tightly controlled fluorinated content capped at approximately 5% by weight.¹ This limited proportion of fluorinated material is not incidental; it enables the specific physical and chemical properties required for high-performance vapour degreasing and precision cleaning, including:
- low surface tension for complex geometries³
- rapid, residue-free drying⁴
- excellent material compatibility⁵
- stable vapour behaviour in closed systems⁶
By minimising fluorinated content while preserving these essential properties, SF80 demonstrates that effective precision cleaning does not inherently require high-fluorine solvent formulations.⁷
Precision Cleaning- Opteon SF80
PFAS-free vapour degreasing solvents: performance and emissions compared²
Many solvents marketed as “PFAS-free” for vapour degreasing still rely on substantially higher fluorinated content, commonly in the range of 25–35% by weight to achieve acceptable solvency, drying behaviour and process stability.²
This leads to a counter-intuitive but critical outcome:
When evaluated side-by-side, some PFAS-free vapour degreasing solvents can emit a higher proportion of fluorinated gas than Opteon™ SF80, despite offering similar or inferior cleaning performance.⁷
From an emissions and lifecycle perspective, this undermines the assumption that PFAS-free labelling alone equates to lower environmental impact. SF80 illustrates that reducing fluorinated content, combined with efficient solvent recovery in modern vapour degreasing equipment can deliver lower real-world emissionswithout compromising performance.⁷
Application limits of PFAS-free solvents in critical industry cleaning⁸
PFAS-free solvents are often positioned as universal replacements across multiple cleaning applications. In reality, many are limited in scope and unsuitable for several critical industry uses.
Oxygen-enriched and oxygen service precision cleaning⁹ ¹⁰
Precision cleaning for oxygen-enriched and oxygen service systems is governed by stringent safety and performance criteria, typically assessed against recognised aerospace and industrial standards.⁹ Certain fluorinated cleaning fluids have undergone extensive testing for oxygen compatibility, including reactivity in liquid and gaseous oxygen, contaminant removal efficiency, residue control and material compatibility.
Opteon™ SF30, for example, has demonstrated conformance against multiple recognised oxygen-service test methods, supporting its use within validated oxygen cleaning processes.⁹ ¹⁰
By contrast, many solvents promoted as PFAS-free have not been qualified against equivalent oxygen-service standards. As a result, they are generally unsuitable for oxygen-enriched applications without significant additional validation and customer-specific qualification.⁹ ¹⁰
Medical and regulated manufacturing environments¹⁰
In medical device manufacturing and other regulated industries, cleaning chemistries must demonstrate long-term material compatibility, regulatory acceptance and a documented qualification history. Many PFAS-free alternatives lack this depth of validation, limiting their adoption in regulated production environments.¹⁰
Heat transfer and thermal management applications¹¹
PFAS-free solvents are generally unsuitable for heat-transfer applications, where thermal stability, dielectric properties and long-term materials compatibility are critical. Fluorinated fluids continue to dominate these applications due to their proven performance, extensive qualification history and predictable behaviour over extended service life.¹¹
Precision cleaning performance without hidden environmental trade-offs⁷
In real-world production environments, SF80 consistently delivers:
- penetration into blind holes and fine features³
- fast, residue-free drying⁴
- low solvent drag-out during component transfer⁶
- reduced overall solvent consumption⁷
Lower fluorinated content, combined with high recovery efficiency in modern vapour degreasing systems, translates into lower operational emissions rather than simply favourable headline claims.⁷
PFAS regulation and derogations for critical industrial cleaning applications¹²
Regulatory authorities recognise that precision cleaning is a critical industrial activity for which technically and economically viable alternatives do not always exist.¹²
Current EU regulatory proposals are expected to include:
• an 18-month transition period, and
• a strongly anticipated 12-year derogation for defined uses such as industrial precision cleaning¹³
This approach provides regulatory certainty for validated vapour degreasing processes well into the late-2030s, particularly for aerospace, medical, electronics and other high-reliability sectors.¹³
The Fraser Technologies Position
Fraser Technologies does not promote PFAS or PFAS-free products by default. Our approach is grounded in selecting the lowest-impact solution that demonstrably works, based on validated performance, real emissions behaviour, regulatory reality and total process risk.
In many vapour degreasing and precision cleaning applications, SF80 represents a lower-fluorine, lower-emission and higher-confidence solution than alternatives marketed as “PFAS-free”.⁷
Customer FAQ : SF80, PFAS and Vapour Degreasing
Yes. It is engineered with minimal fluorinated content (approximately 5%) to deliver required cleaning performance.¹
No. Many rely on significantly higher fluorinated content and offer limited application flexibility.² ⁸
Higher fluorinated content generally increases the potential for fluorinated gas emissions, particularly in vapour processes.⁷
Often not. Many are unsuitable for oxygen cleaning, medical manufacturing or heat-transfer applications.⁹ ¹⁰ ¹¹
Precision cleaning is expected to benefit from long-term derogations recognising its critical industrial role.¹³
Fact Checker & Source References:
- Manufacturer SDS / PDS disclosures (fluorinated content by weight)
- Publicly available SDS data for “PFAS-free” vapour degreasing solvents
- Surface tension and wetting behaviour -solvent physics literature
- Vapour degreasing drying mechanisms -industry application guides
- Polymer and elastomer compatibility data (supplier technical literature)
- Vapour degreasing system design and solvent recovery performance
- Comparative solvent consumption and emissions assessments
- Supplier application scope statements for PFAS-free solvents
- Oxygen cleaning standards and solvent compatibility guidance
- Opteon™ SF30 oxygen service test conformance data (Chemours, Feb 2024)
- Heat-transfer fluid application standards
- ECHA PFAS Restriction Proposal – Annex XV
- ECHA RAC/SEAC draft opinions and proposed derogations
Glossary of Technical Terms
PFAS – A broad group of fluorinated substances with varying properties and environmental profiles.
Fluorinated content (%) – Proportion of fluorinated material in a solvent blend by weight.
Vapour degreasing – A precision cleaning process using solvent vapour to remove contaminants.
Surface tension – A liquid’s ability to wet and penetrate fine features.
F-gas – Fluorinated greenhouse gases regulated under EU climate legislation.
Drag-out – Solvent lost when parts exit a cleaning system.
Derogation – A legally defined exemption allowing continued use for specific applications
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