The debate concerning F gases continues to spark interest from retailers and equipment producers alike. Some believe the introduction of European F-gas Regulation, including a phase-out of high GWP HFCs used in refrigeration by 2022, will be the tipping point the industry needs for mainstream adoption of sustainable refrigeration solutions.
Others believe the combination of public pressure from environmentally aware consumers and the commercial imperative to reduce energy costs have been, and will continue to be, the real catalysts for industry-wide change, according to a recent report on F gases and sustainability in Europe developed by Carrier in partnership with market development specialist shecco.
What is the F gases’ impact?
Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) are a group of chemicals containing fluorine. The most common f-gases are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). These are all man-made gases that are used in a variety of applications including refrigeration, foam blowing, propellants, aluminum & semiconductor manufacturing. During their use, these gases can be emitted to the atmosphere. However, once released, many of these gases stay in the atmosphere for years and make a far greater contribution to a global greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide.
In the European Union (EU) F-gases account for 2% of overall greenhouse gas emissions, according to information by producer Linde Group.
HFCs, the most common group of F-gases, are used in various sectors and applications, such as refrigerants, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment, as blowing agents for foams, as solvents and in fire extinguishers and aerosols. Originally developed to replace ozone-depleting substances (ODS) including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), HFCs have rapidly grown in popularity as signatories to the Montreal Protocol phase out the use of CFCs and HCFCs.
As environmental focus has shifted away from ozone depletion towards global warming, several global environmental authorities have flagged the uncontrolled use of F-gases as a focus area for regulation. Efforts to develop a global approach for the control of HFCs have recently taken the form of a declaration of support for a global phase-down as one of the outcomes of the “Rio+20” United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Among the world’s major politico-economic regions, the EU is taking the most rigorous approach to F-gas regulation. To combat the potential global warming effects of f-gases, and as part of the EU’s Kyoto Protocol commitments, in 2006 the EU passed two pieces of legislation controlling their use: the F-gas Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 and the Mobile Air Conditioning Directive 2006/40/EC (the “MAC Directive”).
Now, the original F-gas Regulation adopted in 2006 is being replaced by a new regulation that will come into effect from 1 January 2015. This regulation strengthens many existing measures and also introduces a number of additional changes. First, the total amount of HFCs that can be sold in the EU will be capped in 2015 so it cannot exceed the baseline average of 2009-2012, and then phased down in steps to one-fifth of the baseline by 2030. This will be the main driver of the move towards more climate-friendly technologies.
Secondly, the sale of certain products and equipment that use F-gases with a high global warming potential will be restricted, where less harmful alternatives are widely available, such as in domestic refrigeration, supermarkets, small air conditioning systems, foams and aerosols.
Thirdly, there will be restrictions on the servicing and maintenance of many existing refrigeration systems that use HFCs with a high global warming potential (GWP) of 2500 or above.
Additionally, operations using F-gases will be required to prevent emissions through regular checks, proper servicing and recovery of the gases at the end of the equipment’s life. The new F-gas Regulation is expected to cut the EU’s F-gas emissions by two-thirds by 2030, compared with the baseline period.
Reactions in other regions
In the USA, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), overall fluorinated gas emissions have increased by about 83% between 1990 and 2012. This increase has been driven by a 310% increase in HFC emissions since 1990, even though emissions of PFCs and SF6 declined during this time, owing to emission reduction efforts in the aluminum production industry (PFCs) and the electricity transmission and distribution industry (SF6). The EPA expects HFC emissions to grow by nearly 140% until 2020, as demands for refrigeration continue to grow and as more ozone-depleting substances are replaced, according to Linde Group.
Although there is no current legislation regulating HFC usage in the USA or Canada, the EPA recently proposed a new rule called the “Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Change of Listing Status for Certain Substitutes”. Under this proposed rule, various HFCs and HFC-containing blends that were previously listed as acceptable alternatives to ODS will be listed as unacceptable for some uses. This proposed rule is part of the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, under which the EPA continuously reviews alternatives to ODS to find substitutes that pose less overall risk to human health and the environment. As safer alternatives become available for particular applications, the list of acceptable substitutes is evaluated and revised.
In May 2014, the USA, Canada and Mexico submitted an amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer to phase down the production and consumption of HFCs. If adopted, the proposed amendment could yield reductions of over 90 gigatons of carbon dioxide-equivalent until 2050, roughly equivalent to two years of current annual emissions of all greenhouse gases.
Canada has implemented arguably the most successful CFC and HCFC disposal program in the world and is now poised to begin measures to dispose of HFCs, essentially making disposal mandatory for all HFC importers. In other geographies, in 2013 the Japanese Cabinet approved the revision of its fluorocarbon regulations that will fundamentally change the way high global warming fluorocarbons are produced, used and disposed of in Japan. It also will lead to a phase-down of HFCs. Australia is considering new global warming related legislation which is likely, in part, to reflect the EU model.
“All this progressively tighter legislation focused on HFCs will lead to a lot of changes in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sectors,” predicts Jon Black, global head of Chemicals and Refrigerants, Linde Gases Division. “Some operations will be obliged to convert existing equipment and others will need to buy completely new equipment that uses more environmentally friendly gases. In many cases, this will mean a shift to alternatives such as hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), a new generation of refrigerant gases, and natural refrigerant gases, which include ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons.”
“Both HFOs and natural refrigerant gases have zero ODP and very low GWP properties, however they are still in relatively early stages of commercialization, and have other challenges that need to be overcome, such as pressure characteristics, flammability, toxicity, efficiency and cost,” ends Black.