With the SAFE-TAINER™ system and the chemical service model, Brenntag in Germany offers asphalt laboratories a safe and future-proof solution for the use of trichloroethylene (tri). This chemical has been used in laboratories as a solvent for years, to separate the construction material asphalt into its two components, rock and bitumen, for quality testing. However, tri represents a health hazard and, since April 2016, has been only allowed to be used in approved exceptional cases in accordance with the EU’s chemicals regulation REACH. In such cases, there must be a guarantee and evidence that the substance can be used safely and without posing a risk.
Until an alternative is introduced at the laboratories, Brenntag GmbH is offering needs-based supplies of tri while observing uniform, strict safety requirements. The established SAFE-TAINER™ system developed by SAFECHEM Europe GmbH allows the solvent to be handled, stored, transported and disposed of safely. It is also part of an extensive chemical service model devised by Brenntag in cooperation with SAFECHEM in 2013 for such applications. The use and disposal of the chemical are now controlled and comply with a uniform safety standard throughout the entire industry; the risks involved have been minimized and everyone involved is interested in reducing the amount of tri used.
