F

F

Fatty alcohol sulfates

Sulfuric acid monoesters from sodium salt fatty alcohols, which possess better washing properties than soaps even in hard water.

FC

See: Fluorocarbons.

Federal environment office

Central agency for environmental matters in Berlin; subordinate to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (since 1986).

Federal Health Office

See: BGA.

Federal Institute for Occupational Safety

See: Bau.

Federal Pollutant Control Act

See: BlmSCHG.

Filter

Porous substance used to retain solid particles of a certain size Adsorption from a gas or fluid that enters the porous substance. This is achieved by means of suitable chemicals or screening.

Filtration

Separation (filtering) of insoluble materials from liquids using a filter.

Fine

Imposed if an applicable regulation is violated. All environmental protection laws carry potential fines if any of the regulations contained therein are violated. Fines are generally imposed by the responsible administrative authority, but not registered as a criminal offense.

Flame retardant

Substances that reduce the flammability and combustibility of plastics, textiles, paper and other combustible materials. In plastics and fibers, organic boron, chlorine and/or phosphorous compounds are usually incorporated in combination with antimony trioxide. Materials containing cellulose are treated with ammonium salts.

Flash off

Evaporation of the volatile paint components. In a painting process, most of the solvents evaporate during spraying, and a further fraction in the flash-off phase. Only a small fraction evaporates in the drying oven.

Flue gas desulfurization

Cleansing of sulfuric exhaust gases, primarily via absorption of SO2 using lime to form gypsum or using regenerative procedures for acquiring elemental sulfur or sulfuric acids. See: Desulfurization.

Fluorine

The most reactive of all chemical elements. Poisonous, light yellow-green, pungent gas, the organic compounds (See: Fluorocarbons) of which have gained immense importance in recent decades.

Fluorocarbons

Abbreviation: FC. They are derived from Hydrocarbons by replacing hydrogen with fluorine (e.g. tetrafluoromethane = CF4, tetrafluoroethylene = C2F4). Properties: non-combustible, not affected by acids and alkaline solutions. Technical usage: filler material for cooling systems, propellant for aerosol spray cans (has now been largely replaced by FC-free products), as a chemically neutral lubricant, plastics (Hostaflon, Teflon). Fluorocarbons are deemed to be responsible for damaging the ozone layer of the earth s atmosphere.

Fog

Fog is:
1. clouds at ground level, condensation of water vapor (visibility less than 1,000 meters; above that: mist); consists of droplets from 0.04 to 0.2 millimeters in diameter, results from cooling of humid air.
2. Artificially created tiny droplets in the air which obstruct vision.

Formaldehyde

A colorless, pungent gas. It can be purchased as solutions containing between 10 and 50 percent. Formaldehyde readily polymerizes to paraformaldehyde. Formaldehyde is primarily used as a basic ingredient in synthetic resins (aminoplasts, phenoplasts).

Formulation, e.g. paint formulation

This term refers to the preparation of paint products based on organic film formers. Depending on the type of organic film former, paints contain organic solvents and/or water, plus pigments, fillers and other additives in some cases. Powder paints are solvent free.

Fossil fuels

Stocks of gaseous, liquid and solid fuels such as natural gas, crude oil, coal, brown coal, peat, etc. formed from the remains of organisms preserved in the earth s crust.

Fractionate

This term refers to reducing a material mixture to its component parts, e.g. fractionated distillation, crystallization or precipitation.

Fractionated distribution

This refers to separating material mixtures based on differing solubility in watery or organic medium to isolate and clean natural substances, antibiotics, etc.

Frequency

Number of cycles per second. Unit: 1 Hz; in England and the USA: 1 cycle/sec.

Frequency spectrum

The intensity distribution (e.g. sound pressure level or volume) as a function of frequency resulting from the frequency analysis; each sound has a typical frequency spectrum.

Fuel

The fuel used in the internal combustion engine of automobiles; almost always liquid hydrocarbons and gaseous fuels; solids only with generator systems.

Furans

This term is a common synonym for chlorinated dibenzofurans. They can result from ring closure of chlorinated biphenyls or from aromatic radical reactions in the presence of chlorine/chloride. Chlorinated furans can also result from thermal decomposition for polychlorinated biphenyls (See: PCB) via ring closure reactions.