DuPont: FFKM ban would halt EU oil & gas, semicon, H2, airplane industries

Wilmington, Delaware – DuPont has issued a stark assessment of the impact of EU restrictions on the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) related to polymeric industrial parts.

Among the areas likely to be most affected would be the European oil and gas industry, DuPont forecasting an end to extraction in high-pressure and high-temperature environments?.

Without access to perfuoroelastomer (FFKM) parts, “oil & gas operations in the European Economic Area (EEA) would come to a complete halt due to a lack of current viable alternatives?,” it stated.

Equally worrying is the potential elimination of all semiconductor manufacturing in the EEA if a feasible alternative is not be found for perfluoroelastomer parts.

Likewise, the European chemicals processing industry would most likely have to stop operations, as most plants rely on fluoropolymer seals to comply with industry emission requirements.

The EU, warned DuPont, could also wave goodbye to its fledgling hydrogen industry, which requires FFKM seals in refineries for cracking methane into H2 and CO2.

Similarly, carbon capture, which uses an amine-based process to capture the CO2, would no longer be an option in the EU, as the refineries involved require the use of FFKM seals.

Last, but not least, the aerospace industry “would experience significant disruptions, impacting various sectors such as machine shops, engine system manufacturers, and airframe manufacturers.”

This is due to the aerospace industry's reliance on complex global supply-chains that are tightly interconnected, explained DuPont.

“Any restrictions imposed on one part of the supply-chain would trigger a chain reaction, ultimately leading to a cessation of all downstream supply-chains," said the submission.