© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell

Evaluating Cold Cleaning Alternatives 

to TCE 

Case Study

Dr. Jason Marshall

Lab Director

Toxics Use Reduction Institute
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Cold Cleaning Case Study

• Most cleaning projects are not solved easily

• No single drop-in cleaning alternative exists

• The product selection process is one that 

must be tailored to each situation to ensure 

that alternative will be the best fit for the 

company
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Elimination of TCE in production

• A semi conductor-electromagnetic and optical 

functions manufacturer

• Six step process

– mounting the materials with wax

– lapping process

– cleaned to remove oil and abrasives

– polished/cleaned

– materials dismounted

– final cleaning of wax using vapor degreasing
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Mounting Materials

• Heating a twelve inch plate of glass to 200-

300 F

• Wax is applied

• Lens paper is placed over the wax

• Another layer of wax is applied

• Materials mounted into this layer of wax
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Lapping/Polishing

• Plate sent to be lapped or polished

– uses lapping oil 

– one of two abrasives
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Clean, Polish, Clean

• Remove oil and abrasives

– involves wiping with TCE

• Cleaned materials are then polished and 

cleaned by hand with a wet paper towel

– followed by an acetone wipe
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Dismount and Final Cleaning

• Plate is reheated to the 200-300OF range

• Materials are slid off the surface 

• Final cleaning is focused on wax removal 

using TCE for up to 10 minutes

• Following the de-waxing, two 5 minute 

ultrasonic aqueous cleaning stages are 

performed

• Cleaning is finished off with a methanol bath 

rinse for up to 4 minutes
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Lab Testing

• Identify alternatives for wax removal

• Oil and abrasive slurries cleaning

• Pilot cleaners on supplied client parts

• Parts made from 

– Alumina nitride

– Alumina

– fused silica

– lithium fluoride

– Glass

– stainless steel.
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What Was Cleaned

• Stage 1. Bees wax

• Stage 2. 98045 Wax from Roger Reed

• Stage 3. Roger Reed 93114 wax

• Stage 4. Roger Reed 98033 wax

• Stage 5. Aremco Crystalbond 509 wax

• Stage 6. Speed Fam Industrial Applications Vehicle 

210 with Boron Carbide abrasive

• Stage 7. Speed Fam Industrial Applications Vehicle 

210 with Aluminum Oxide abrasive

• Stage 8. Pilot Cleaning
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Summary of Successful Products

Contaminant Company Name Product Name Total Effective Ineffective

Waxes AG Environmental Products Canola Gold CE110 3 2 1

Waxes Bio Chem Systems Bio T 200 A 8 5 3

Waxes Dynamold Solvents Inc DS 108 4 3 1

Waxes Florida Chemical Company Citrus Burst 7 8 5 3

Waxes National Diagnostic Opti Clear 9 8 1

Waxes Pentone Corporation Citrikleen XPC 8 4 4

Waxes Solvent Kleene Inc D Greeze 500 LO 3 1 2

Abrasive Amax Corporation Safety First 2 2

Abrasive Brulin Corporation Formula 815 GD 2 2

Abrasive Innovative Organics Inc Amberclean L 12 2 2

Abrasive LPS Laboratories LPS Precision Clean 2 2

Abrasive National Diagnostic Opti Clear 1 1

Abrasive US Polychem Corporation Polyspray Jet 790 XS 2 2

Oil Amax Corporation Safety First 2 2

Oil Brulin Corporation Formula 815 GD 2 2

Oil Innovative Organics Inc Amberclean L 12 2 2

Oil LPS Laboratories LPS Precision Clean 2 2

Oil National Diagnostic Opti Clear 1 1

Oil US Polychem Corporation Polyspray Jet 790 XS 2 2
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Outcome

• The facility only had 8 gallons of TCE 

remaining and were not intending on 

purchasing any more 

– The employees were all pleased to hear that TCE 

would not be used any more

• Upon contacting the company one month 

later, informed that alternative products 

were working well

– Solvent Kleene D-Greeze 500
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Success without Worker Buy-in not 

Likely

• Keys to success

– Conducting systematic performance testing 

using the specific soils encountered at the 

facility 

– Pilot the potential product on actual parts by the 

personnel responsible for running the cleaning 

process

• By conducting the on-site work, questions or 

concerns can be met in real time