What are the differences between AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ and conventional AsahiGuard?
AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ offers the same high performance characteristics as our former product line but does not contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), longer chain length-perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) or their precursors at or above detection limits.
What are the differences between AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ and other water repellent products or materials?
Water resistance happens when surface tension of the solid surface is lower than liquid surface tension.
Fluorinated water/oil repellent agents made with perfluoroalkyl groups easily resist not only water but also highly osmotic liquids such as oil. This is because the perfluoroalkyl substituent group has extraordinarily low surface tension - much lower than water-based or oil-based stains. Since it has excellent durability as well, it is an agent that surpasses the level of other wax-based or silicone-based water and oil repellents.
What are the current products?
There are currently over 10 product types that include products for textiles and paper. In the future, we will further expand this product line. Please click here for details.
What are the characteristics of AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™?
AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ does not include PFOA, PFOA-related substances, or their precursor materials at or above detection limits, which have been the subject of concerns over their effects on humans and the environment. In addition, it is a product with low environmental impact that has achieved the elimination of APEO and the reduction of impurities.
What is PFOA?
PFOA is used as an emulsifier for polymerization when producing fluoropolymers, and is also an impurity contained in trace amounts of fluorinated water and oil repellents. It is a substance that has been found to be present in the blood of humans and wildlife, and has been widely detected in the environment.
What are the risks associated with PFOA?
Since PFOA has the proclivity to accumulate within the body and has been subject to concerns over its toxicity, it has been undergoing a variety of tests in risk evaluations. At the time of the announcement of preliminary risk investigations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and draft risk evaluation reports released in January 2005, the results of evaluations on the safety of PFOA with regard to the human body have not yet been clearly determined.
What is PFHxA?
CF3-CF2-CF2-CF2-CF2-COOH. Perfluorohexanoic acid.
AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ is a copolymer using fluorinated monomers containing compounds with a carbon number of 6. The final chemical substance created after the polymers and monomers break down naturally is PFHxA (perfluorohexanoic acid). The toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of PFHxA have been confirmed to be significantly less than those of PFOS and PFOA.
What is PFOS?
Industrial synthesis procedures for fluorine compounds that are the key raw materials of fluorinated water and oil repellents include telomerization and electrolytic fluorination.
While the key raw materials of AsahiGuard and the AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ are manufactured using telomerization, PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) is a key raw material for products including fluorinated water and oil repellents that are manufactured using electrolytic fluorination. It is also a final decomposition product of PFOS-based water and oil repellents, whose manufacture has already been discontinued.
Why are fluorinated water and oil repellents able to repel water and oil?
Liquid-repellent properties are generated if the surface tension of a solid surface is lower than the surface tension of a liquid. The perfluoro alkyl group (Rf group) used in fluorinated water and oil repellents has the lowest surface tension among such substances, making it able to repel not only water but also highly-permeable liquids such as oil.
What are the applications of AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™?
AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ can be used to treat not only textiles and paper, but also non-woven fabrics and leather. In terms of its applications, it has a wide range of uses benefitting many industries, including general clothing, sportswear, umbrellas, food packaging, paper, medical-related applications, automobile parts and filters, and still growing.
Where can the AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ and AsahiGuard be purchased?
Meisei Chemical Co., Ltd. is our distributor in Japan. Please feel free to contact us for information on distributors in your country. Please contact us (click here)
What is the status of AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™’s registration as a chemical substance in each countries?
AsahiGuard E-SERIES ™ is registered as a chemical substance in Japan as well as in many countries including the United States, Europe, and Asia. For details, please inquire with us. (click here)