Friday, January 17, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
David Isaacs, Vice President of Government Affairs
The Semiconductor PFAS Consortium (1), a group of companies organized under the auspices of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) to address technical issues related to the use of PFAS in the industry, announced today that We have announced the results of our emissions survey. wastewater. The publication of these data is intended to promote transparency and understanding of PFAS use and releases in industry, while guiding future research efforts on improved detection methods and treatment technologies, and improving wastewater from factories. It is also intended to support future efforts to establish appropriate emission limits for emissions.
Consortium data was voluntarily submitted by 26 participating facilities operated by seven consortium member companies located throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. The new data, collected using standard U.S. EPA and ASTM methodologies for “targeted” PFAS, further improves previous data on PFAS in semiconductor factory wastewater discharges in that it shows significant variation in PFAS emissions by factories around the world. This is generally consistent with the paper published in . (2) This data shows that wastewater releases from factories vary in terms of both the specific PFAS and the concentration level in the wastewater. According to the paper, emissions of targeted PFAS from participating facilities ranged from 0.002 grams to 13 grams per day, with an average of approximately 4 grams of targeted PFAS per facility per day. This equates to approximately 3.2 pounds per year. The survey results are summarized in the table below.
This paper attributes the variation in emissions between facilities to several factors, including: (1) The size and complexity of the products manufactured in the factory. (2) Differences in process chemistry. (3) manufacturing techniques and equipment used in the factory; (4) In-plant strategies used to collect and separate wastewater containing PFAS. (5) Wastewater treatment process. (6) Total amount of industrial wastewater.
Current targeted PFAS analysis methods offered by commercial laboratories are unable to characterize certain other PFAS species potentially present in facility wastewater effluents. Additional research is needed to more fully understand semiconductor PFAS emissions, factors contributing to variations in PFAS emissions from semiconductor manufacturing facilities, and potential measures to reduce or eliminate these emissions.
The consortium’s papers will contribute to the understanding of semiconductor manufacturing facilities’ ability to detect, control, and reduce PFAS discharges and currents. In particular, industry, academia, and government will collaborate on research to advance the development of analytical methods to identify and quantify low levels of PFAS in semiconductor wastewater, air, and work environments, and develop standardized protocols and reference standards. That is a priority. And the materials. For critical applications where there are no known alternatives, research is needed to optimize processes to reduce consumption, facilitate recycling, and improve recovery and abatement technologies. Research into chemical replacements should identify process performance and EHS characteristics to ensure the suitability of the replacement. In addition to efforts at the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and federal agencies, the Consortium’s ongoing technology projects (3) aim to innovate and expand our understanding in this field. Meaningful, scientifically proven data are needed to inform appropriate policy measures, such as emissions limits, and we encourage further collaboration between industry, government, and academia in this effort.
The semiconductor industry relies on PFAS in many critical manufacturing steps, in addition to PFAS present in fab infrastructure and equipment, as described in 10 previously published technical papers by the consortium. . (4) PFAS substances are utilized because they have specific properties that provide unique functionality. Functions in the complex process of semiconductor manufacturing. There are no known substitutes for most of these applications, and the process of researching, identifying, and qualifying suitable alternatives can take 5 to 25 years and may not be possible for many applications. . Although the semiconductor industry has been successful in phasing out certain types of PFAS (5), given the range of applications and types of PFAS currently used throughout the semiconductor manufacturing process, detection requires the development of more effective analytical detection methods and processing techniques. Control releases to wastewater during periods when PFAS replacements are being considered.
The semiconductor industry uses and releases a small portion of all PFAS into the environment. Usage data available in Europe shows that the electronics sector as a whole accounts for approximately 1% of the total PFAS market, and semiconductor usage accounts for a portion of this amount. (6) The data published today must be considered in the context of the entire market. The extent of industrial uses and emissions of PFAS in the United States and around the world.
Despite the semiconductor sector’s relatively small contribution, the industry is striving to play a leading role in expanding the scientific understanding of PFAS. A holistic approach to addressing PFAS across the economy will require concerted action by other industry sectors, in partnership with governments, academia and other stakeholders.
The Semiconductor PFAS Consortium and SIA are committed to continuing to play a constructive role in achieving these goals in a manner that enables continued innovation in semiconductor technology, and we are committed to working with industry, government, and academia to We look forward to working with you. The Consortium is working on a number of technology projects to advance these goals and will continue to publish the results of this ongoing work on the Consortium’s website.
(1) For more information about the consortium, please visit www.semiconductors.org/pfas. (2) Chen, YJ, RD Wang, YL Shih, HY Chin, AY Lin. 2024. “Emergence of Perfluorobutane Sulfonamide Derivatives as a New Trend in Surfactants Used in the Semiconductor Industry,” Environmental Science and Technology.
Jacob, P., KA Barzenhanson, and DE Helbling. 2021. “Targeted and Non-Targeted Analysis of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Wastewater from Electronics Manufacturing Facilities” Environmental Science and Technology 2346-2356. Jacob, Paige, and Damian E. Helbling. 2023. “Rapid and simultaneous determination of short-chain and ultra-short-chain perfluoroalkyl substances in water and wastewater.” ACS ES&T Water 118-128. (3) See, for example, PFAS Reduction and Innovation in Semiconductor Manufacturing (PRISM) https://natcast.org/research-and-development/prismCHIPS AI/AE for Rapid, Industry-informed Sustainable Semiconductor Materials and Processes (CARISSMA). Please. ) program, https://www.nist.gov/chips/r%2526d-funding-opportunities/notice-funding-opportunity-carissma. (4) Semiconductor PFAS Consortium, www.semiconductors.org/pfas. (5) The global semiconductor industry announced that it will phase out the use of PFOS in 2018 (https://www.semiconductors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Semiconductor-Industry-PFOS -Statement-to-POP) -RC-Feb-15-2018.pdf), and PFOA in 2024 (https://www.semiconductors.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Semiconductor-Industry-Statement-on-Phaseout-of-PFOA-April-2024.pdf). In each case, the industry replaced these. Combining long-chain PFAS with other types of PFAS and identifying non-PFAS alternatives poses significant scientific and technological challenges. (6) Nature, “Can the world leave behind ‘eternal chemicals’?” Vol 620 (August 3, 2023), https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02444-5. This article calculates the amount of PFAS used in various industrial sectors in Europe and shows that the amount of PFAS used across the electronics sector is overall very small, and the semiconductor industry is only a part of this small amount. I conclude that no.
