Clariant Corp. - Mt. Holly, NC - USA 

Document Control Office (DCO) 

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics 

(OPPT) 

US Environmental Protection Agency 

EPA East, Room 6428 

1201 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC. 20004 

Telephone: 202-564-8930 or 8940 

Attn: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0319 

Mary Dominiak 

Mt. Holly, NC, 09/08/2008 

EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0319 Monoglyme Use and Exposure information for the CHAMP Initial 

Risk-based Prioritization 

Ms. Terry L. Wells 

Product Safety 

Phone: 704 822-2245 

Fax: 704 330-1551 

terry.wells@clariant.com 

Clariant Corp. Functional Chemicals 

625 East Catawba Ave. 

28120 Mt. Holly, NC 

USA 

Page 1 of 1 

Company Sanitized, Does Not Contain CBI 

Clariant Monoglyme Activities 

Clariant manufactures Monoglyme in Europe and imports < 250,000 kg/yr in bulk containers or drums. 

The product is sold as imported without further processing at Clariant facilities. Clariant sells 

monoglyme to <10 customers per year. Use and exposure information was requested from all 

customers for the last 3 years. Clariant received responses from customers which account for approx. 

95% of the Monoglyme volume. The remaining customers purchased <10,000 kg/customer over the 2 

last years. Some are no longer using monoglyme, and some are small solvent distributors. 

Downstream Use of Monoglyme 

Monoglyme is used as a solvent or processing aid in the manufacture or formulation of industrial 

chemicals. The large majority of the monoglyme sold by Clariant is used as a site limited processing 

aid for industrial chemical manufacture. The remaining volume is used in quantities of <10 - 1000 

kg/site over 100-1000 additional sites. 

Use 1 

Solvent for industrial chemical manufacturing 

Site limited, < 5 sites 

<200,000 kg/year 

No offsite distribution 

General Information: Monoglyme is used to manufacture industrial chemicals. 
Page 2 of 2 

Occupational Exposure Estimate/site 

Worker activity Protective Equipment No. of 

workers 

exposed 

Max hr/day Days/yr

Unloading trucks/drums 

Air-purifying respirator, 

goggles, gloves, apron 2-5 4 12-60 

Sampling 

Air-purifying respirator, 

goggles, gloves, apron 2-5 2 365 

Maintenance activities 

Air-purifying respirator, 

goggles, gloves, apron 10-20 10 12-36 

Unloading trucks/drums 

Air-purifying respirator, 

goggles, gloves, apron 2-5 4 12-60 

Environmental Release and Disposal Estimate 

Description of Release Media of 

Release

Control Technology and 

efficiency

kg/day Days/yr

Cleaning process equipment surface water 

off-site waste water 

treatment 1-10 12-36

Waste water surface water Aeration ponds 0.5-5 365

Flare Stack air Flare, 98% 1-10 365

Fugitives fugitive air none 5-25 365

Process scrubbers Stack air scrubber 90% 1-50 365

Use 2

Processing Aid for Fluoropolymer Etchant formulation 

Site limited, <10 sites <1000kg/year/site 

>50% of Etchant is used on-site; <50% Offsite Distribution for use as an Etchant solution for 

fluropolymer adhesion 

Formulation of Fluoropolymer Etchant in a laboratory environment: <10 sites formulate Fluoropolymer 

Etchant products to make fluoropolymers bondable to a wide variety of articles. i.e., Teflon. The 

monoglyme is removed from the drums using general industrial ventilation, workers wear typical 

laboratory safety equipment, including respirators and gloves. The majority of the handling is done in a 

laboratory chemical hood. Formulated fluoropolymer solution contains approx. 80-90% monoglyme. 

Product is bottled into 1 pint-1 gallon containers for use in etchant application. 
Page 3 of 3 

Occupation Exposure Estimate/site 

Worker activity Protective Equipment Form/Conc. 

Monoglyme

No. of 

workers 

exposed 

Max 

hr/day

Days/yr

Drum unloading Exhaust fan, normal work 

clothes or Respirator, Gloves, 

goggles, 

Liquid 100% 2-5 0.5 24 

Drumming 1 gallon 

containers 

Lab hood, typical lab safety 

wear 

Liquid 90% 2-5 24 

Emptying bottles into 

Etchant process (closed) 

Lab hood, typical lab safety 

wear 

Liquid 90% 20-50 8 220 

Recovering used Etchant 

soln in original 1 gallon 

bottles 

Lab hood, typical lab safety 

wear 

Liquid 

80-90% 

20-50 220 

Description of Release Media of 

Release

Control Technology 

and efficiency

kg/day Days/yr

Solvent is re-used until spent, spent 

solvent is collected for disposal 

Air Off- or On-site 

incineration 

If you have any questions, or need further information, please let me know. 

Sincerely, 

Terry L. Wells 

Product Safety Manager 

Functional Chemicals 
Clariant Corp. - Mt. Holly, NC - USA 

Document Control Office (DCO) 

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics 

(OPPT) 

US Environmental Protection Agency 

EPA East, Room 6428 

1201 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC. 20004 

Telephone: 202-564-8930 or 8940 

Attn: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0319 

Mary Dominiak 

Mt. Holly, NC, 09/08/2008 

EPA-HQ-OPPT-2008-0319 Diglyme Use and Exposure information for the CHAMP Initial 

Risk-based Prioritization

Ms. Terry L. Wells 

Product Safety 

Phone: 704 822-2245 

Fax: 704 330-1551 

terry.wells@clariant.com 

Clariant Corp. Functional Chemicals 

625 East Catawba Ave. 

28120 Mt. Holly, NC 

USA 

Page 1 of 1 

COMPANY SANITIZED – DOES NOT CONTAIN CBI 

Clariant Diglyme Activities 

Clariant manufactures Diglyme in Europe and imports <250,000 kg/yr in bulk containers or drums. 

The product is sold as imported without further processing at Clariant facilities. Clariant sells Diglyme 

to <20 customers per year. Use and exposure information was requested from all customers for the 

last 3 years. Clariant received responses from customers which account for approx. 95% of the 

Diglyme volume. The remaining customers purchased <10,000 kg/customer over the 2 last years. 

Some are no longer using Diglyme, and some are small solvent distributors. 

Downstream Use of Diglyme 

Diglyme is used as a solvent or processing aid in the manufacture or formulation of industrial 

chemicals. Much of the Diglyme sold by Clariant is used as a site limited processing aid at <10 

industrial sites. The remaining amount is used in quantities of <10 - 1000 kg/site over 100-1000 

additional sites. 

Use 1 

Manufacturing Solvent for Industrial Chemical 

Site limited, <5 sites 

<250,000 kg/year 

No offsite distribution 

General Information: Diglyme is used in a continuous process. Diglyme is used as a solvent, approx. 

1 worker/shift samples this material 4 times per shift. The finished industrial products do not contain 

residual Diglyme. Most of the solvent is recycled and reused. However, losses of about 50-250,000 

Kg/yr must be replaced with fresh solvent. Diglyme losses are roughly estimated at 40-50% vapor sent 

to a flare, 40-50% decomposition products (i.e., MeOH and 2-MethoxyEthanol) and the remaining 2-

5% Diglyme is sent to a biological wastewater treatment system. 
Page 2 of 2 

Occupational Exposure Estimate/site 

Worker activity Protective Equipment Form/Conc. 

Diglyme 

No. of 

workers 

exposed 

Max hr/day Days/yr

Unloading Enclosed process, face 

shield, nitrile gloves, 

splash suit, 

Liquid 

100% 

2 0.2h/day 6 

Sampling face shield, nitrile 

gloves, splash suit 

Liquid 25% 2 <0.1hr/day 330 

Maintenance chemical hood, 

goggles nitrile gloves, 

Liquid 25% 2-4 

Analysis face shield, nitrile 

gloves, splash suit 

Liquid 25% 4 <0.1 hr/day 330 

Environmental Release and Disposal Estimate/site 

Description of Release Media of 

Release

Control Technology and 

efficiency

kg/day Days/yr

Vessel Cleaning Recycle Recycle wash water back to 

process 

0 2-4 

Water Release from recovery 

process 

POTW TOC analysis, permitted 24 330 

Vapor Recovery Flare 290 330 

Breakdown to MeOH and 2-

Methoxyethanol 

 

Use 2

Processing Aid for Fluoropolymer Etchant formulation 

Site limited, <10 sites (small-medium) 

<100,000 kg/year 

>50% of Etchant is used on-site; <50% Offsite Distribution for use as an Etchant solution for 

fluropolymer adhesion (see use 3) 

Formulation of Fluoropolymer Etchant: basic process description: <10 sites formulate Fluoropolymer 

Etchant products to make fluoropolymers bondable to a wide variety of articles. i.e., Teflon. The 

Diglyme is removed from the drums using general industrial ventilation, workers wear normal work 

clothing. The blending vessel is nitrogen blanketed, closed process. Formulated fluoropolymer 

solution contains approx. 80-90% Diglyme. Product is bottled into 1 pint-1 gallon containers for use in 

etchant application. Fugitive emissions from the process are very small, and are permitted fugitive 

emissions. 
Page 3 of 3 

Occupational Exposure Estimate/site 

Worker activity Protective Equipment Form/Conc. 

Diglyme 

No. of 

workers 

exposed 

Max 

hr/day

Days/yr

Drum unloading Enclosed with Ind, ventilation, 

normal work clothes or 

Respirator, Gloves, goggles, 

Exhaust fan 

Liquid 100% 3 0.5 100 

Drumming 1 gallon 

containers 

Ind, ventilation, normal work 

clothes 

Liquid 90% 3 

Emptying bottles into 

Etchant process (closed) 

Ind, ventilation, normal work 

clothes 

Liquid 90% 20 16 220 

Recovering used Etchant 

soln in original 1 gallon 

bottles 

Ind, ventilation, normal work 

clothes 

Liquid 

80-90% 

20 17 220 

Environmental Release and Disposal Estimate/site 

Description of Release Media of 

Release

Control Technology 

and efficiency

kg/day Days/yr

Fugitive emissions from drum unloading 

and gallon container filling 

Air permitted emissions <1.0 100

Cleaning formulation vessel <12 

Distillation process release 

Use 3 

Fluoropolymer Etchant application 

100-1000 Sites 

<10 gallons/year – 1000 gallons/yr 

Use of fluoropolymer etchant Diglyme is used as a processing aid/solvent at 80-90% in a 

fluoropolymer application. At this time, all of the sites which formulate the fluropolymer solution also 

apply the Etchant solution to finished articles. The etching process is a closed process. All of the 

Diglyme is recovered from this process as used solution, which is re-used, and finally distilled. The 

Diglyme is recovered and re-used again in this process. The formulation sites may also sell the 

fluoropolymer etchant solution with 80 - 90% Diglyme to 100 - >1000 customers in 1 pint to 1 gallon 

containers for use in their own etchant applications. Customer volumes range from <1gallon per 

order, to several skids of gallon containers per month for "typical" customers. At least one large 
Page 4 of 4 

etchant solution manufacturer has a very successful recycling program to collect spent fluoropolymer 

solution for recovery of the Diglyme and re-use in the etchant formulations. The finished products are 

all articles, i.e., circuit boards, auto components; Diglyme content on finished article would be in ppb 

range. 

Use 4

Chemical Intermediate Manufacture 

<10 Sites, Site Limited 

10,000-50,000 kg/year 

Occupational Exposure Estimate/site 

Worker activity Protective Equipment No. of 

workers 

exposed

Max 

hr/day

Days/yr

Unloading, sampling, 

charging 

Chemical resistant gloves, 

eye protection, respiratory 

protection when exposed to 

vapor 

4 3 200

Environmental Release and Disposal Estimate/site 

Description of Release Control 

Technology and 

efficiency

kg/day Days/yr

Cleaning process 

equipment, drums 

point source air, fugitive air, 

on-site WWT 

Thermal oxidizer 

for air emissions, 

98% destruction 

efficiency 

no 

data 

200 

days 

per 

year 

If you have any questions, or need further information, please let me know. 

Sincerely, 

Terry L. Wells 

Product Safety Manager 

Functional Chemicals