Now the sunset date has passed – what is the process of converting from nPB?

July 24, 2020 Comments Off on Now the sunset date has passed – what is the process of converting from nPB? Regulations and legislation, Top Tips Like

As of 4 July 2020, the use of nPB has been prohibited. While those using it now are in breach of the new regulations, many businesses may not have been in a position to convert in time due to delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

For those organisations considering whether it’s possible to convert from nPB now, while distancing guidance and additional safety measures are in place, we’ve broken down the first steps in the process to demonstrate how it can be done safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively…

Assessment call

If you would like to know more about the individual process of switching from nPB for your business, we will set up an assessment call to understand your needs, what cleaning standards you adhere to, and determine the best replacement options. There’s no obligation following this call, but it should provide you with the confidence to know that our replacement service will be thorough and efficient, and remove as much of the heavy lifting from your team as possible.

Audit and trials

Our experts will undertake a full audit of your cleaning processes and requirements and conduct a survey of existing equipment to determine the suitability of replacements. Trials of recommended products will assess efficacy and ensure your cleaning specification is being met, if not exceeded, with our new generation range of products.

For more formation on the process, we’ve created a guide to illustrate the five steps to replacing nPB.

nPB replacement products

Businesses that have used nPB successfully for years may be sceptical of the quality of replacement products, but there are a variety of comparable new generation cleaning agents which should drop in to existing systems with the same, if not better, results.

For example, Opteon™ SF80® by Chemours™ is a drop-in alternative, offering a superior cleaning performance to nPB and other restricted solvents. Importantly, SF80® is safe for operators, and it’s extremely eco-friendly.

SF80® is a non-flammable, and environmentally friendly solvent with no ozone depletion potential, an ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) of <2, and does not contain any products regulated under F-gas regulations. SF80® is an effective replacement for nPB, TCE, HCFCs, PFCs, HFCs and HFEs solvents, and is becoming known as the leader within a variety of cleaning applications such as vapour degreasing, oil and grease removal, precision cleaning, high solvency defluxing, and silicone removal, amongst many other uses.

Before replacing nPB, please consult an expert to guarantee that you are not switching one harmful chemistry for another. Some alternatives are also restricted solvents, such as Perchloroethylene (PERC) or Methylene Chloride (MECL) and should be avoided. We can provide guidance on which chemistry is best for your equipment, machinery and individual needs. The table below shows the common HFCs and HFEs offered as replacement alternatives. As the table highlights, many of these fall under F-gas regulations and should be avoided.