In a “milestone” development expected to make the production of flooring materials more environmentally friendly, DuPont says it has found a new way to produce Teflon used in carpet and other flooring products. The company said its new manufacturing process can remove nearly all perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from Teflon and other fluorotelomer-based products.

DuPont said the new approach is three years ahead of the timetable set by the EPA’s voluntary stewardship program for product content. It describes the new items as “LX Platform Products” and says they are expected to be drop-in replacements for current DuPont products

LX Platform Products are being launched in the first quarter of 2007 with a continued rollout throughout the year. Prices are expected to be in the same range as current offerings.