Measuring the performance of environmentally friendly cleaning solvents

An important decision factor in the replacement of environmentally risky solvents with more benign materials is performance: that is, can the alternative cleaners equal or surpass the performance of the traditional ones? The purpose of this chapter is to discuss some of the measurement techniques that have proved valuable in the evaluation of new cleaners. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has examined the following techniques to determine residue contaminants remaining on the cleaned surface: optical scanning, ionography, x-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Also discussed in this chapter are measurement techniques being developed at other facilities. The advantages and disadvantages of the techniques are summarized.