ABSTRACT
In the late 1980s as the concern about the e¥ects of CFCs on the ozone layer came to a head, solvent cleaning was subjected to severe scrutiny. During the next few years, most cleaning applications were evaluated regarding their ability to be converted to aqueous or semiaqueous. With this new activity, the aqueous marketplace began to explode with new manufacturers eager to gain a piece of the market that always seemed solvents were granted by royal decree. ¤e new regulations now o¥ered a slice of the ©ef that was previously out of reach. ¤e manufacturers of chemicals that could be rinsed with water (semiaqueous) and had minimal emissions also began to see a crack in the solvent armor. ¤ey began probing into this new potential growth market. ¤ose applications that could not undergo the conversion to aqueous or semiaqueous were tested with new solvents that had almost no ozone depletion potential, but emissions continued to be an issue. As this market began to grow, new equipment was required to meet the tighter environmental regulations that were instituted to assure solvent loss be kept to a minimum.
