Use of Silicone Fluids, Carbon Dioxide Growing Among Dry Cleaners

Describes trends in the use of solvents by the dry cleaning industry in North America.

Verona, NJ (PRWEB) April 18, 2004 --A new study of the dry cleaning industry finds that the use of perchloroethylene as a dry cleaning solvent will continue to decline as more efficient machines to recover and recycle the solvent are adopted or dry cleaners switch to one of several alternative technologies. Dry cleaners are motivated to consider alternative solvents for a number of economic, environmental and health factors. Environmental concerns have prompted many states to impose high fees on the use of perchloroethylene. For example, Texas recently imposed a $15 per gallon surcharge on the solvent, according to the study.

In addition, owners of shopping centers concerned about the potential environmental liability of perchloroethylene refuse to allow its use in their facilities. However, because other shopping center tenants value the customer traffic generated by dry cleaning stores, some landlords have gone so far as to buy new dry cleaning machines that use an alternative solvent for their dry cleaning tenants," says Chuck Brennan, manager of the study Emerging Opportunities in Fabric Cleaning."

The report projects demand for cyclic siloxane fluids- made by such companies as GE Silicones, Dow Corning and Shin Etsu and marketed as GreenEarth- will enjoy the highest average annual growth rate between now and 2008. Liquid carbon dioxide is the second fastest growing alternative technology to such conventional dry cleaning solvents as perchloroethylene and stoddard solvent.

Sophisticated, computerized machines made by such companies as Milele, Wascomat and UniMac, which are designed to allow professional wet cleaning of dry clean only" fabrics, will also see increasing use in coming years. In fact, the percentage of garments that are professionally wet cleaned is expected to increase from about 20% of the total workload today to 30% in 2008, according to the research. Machines designed to use such high flash point hydrocarbons as DF-2000 by ExxonMobil and EcoSolv by ChevronPhillips, will register the highest gains in absolute terms- more than doubling between now and 2008.

Emerging Opportunities in Fabric Cleaning, a syndicated multi-client study, comprises nine chapters: Executive Summary, Introduction, Market & Outlook, Perchloroethylene, Hydrocarbon Solvents, Liquid Carbon Dioxide, Siloxane Fluids, Wet Cleaning, and Supply Factors. The report is available only by subscription from Brennan Research Group. Additional information can be obtained by phone: 973-571-9000, fax: 973-239-3177 or e-mail: brennanresgrp@juno.com