“As the April 21 deadline approaches, we’re seeing increased orders for new generation cleaning products, particularly Sion by Chemours, a drop-in, eco-friendly Trike alternative suitable for type I and II systems,” he explained.
For users which have not yet taken action to replace Trichloroethylene, Fraser has issued the following three-point checklist:
Investigate the alternatives
“Tread carefully if you are considering replacing Trike with restricted solvents such as Perchloroethylene (PERC) or Methylene Chloride (MECL) as this could merely be kicking the can further down the road in health and safety and environmental terms.
“We’d advise users to consider a new-generation cleaning product, such as Sion. A drop-in, environmentally-friendly Trike alternative suitable for type I and II systems, Sion has comparable cleaning performance to Trike. It’s also safe in use, energy efficient and legislation compliant.”
Assess the total cost of alternatives
He pointed out that the price per litre of alternative chemistries can mask the full picture. Other restricted solvents may be priced similarly to Trike, but this may hide their overall cost in productivity, safety, handling, storage and energy use terms. Users running type III systems to clean certain materials such as titanium will need to factor in the cost of replacing their equipment too.
Carry out trials
Users who have not already done so will need to act quickly to conduct trials of replacement chemistries with your own particular components and soil types.
“We have set up free customer trial centres in the London and Edinburgh areas, added Mr Fraser. “These allow users to test out alternative chemistries, or new equipment if required, before they buy.”