The Hindu Business Line : ‘Substitute for carbon tetra chloride hard to find’

There is a need to substitute carbon tetra chloride (CTC) but finding a suitable alternative, especially a safer one, is not an easy task, said Mr C.J. Mathew, Senior Consultant, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ-Proklima).

Speaking at a seminar, Montreal Protocol - Selection and safe use of alternatives to carbon tetra chloride, organised by the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry and GTZ-Proklima, he said there is no single replacement for CTC in all applications.

Substitute

In the absence of sufficient information, enterprises may substitute CTC with an even more hazardous substance such as trichloroethylene or benzene, he said.

Mr Sudheendra Harnell, Consultant, GTZ-Proklima, stated that CTC is also identified as an ozone depleting substance and needs to be phased out by the same date.

Applications

“CTC is widely used across many industrial segments, because of its high solvency power, low cost and its non-flammability characteristics.

It finds applications among general engineering, foundries, spinning and textile mills, offset printing presses, oxygen manufacturing companies and jewellery casting units, to name just a few sectors,” he said.

Mr Mathew also said that GTZ-Proklima offers technical assistance to industries using CTC.

“GTZ-Proklima, along with the affected industries, aims to provide competent guidance in identifying CTC substitutes by addressing environmental, health and safety concerns without compromising on quality and cost effectiveness,” he added.

A release from the chamber said that the seminar was aimed to acquaint people with precautionary measures in order to equitably control and eliminate global emissions of ozone depleting substances.

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