A-Gas Group Sustainability Director, Ken Logan, explains why Lifecycle Refrigerant Management will play an important role on the road to net-zero.
There are approximately five billion refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems in operation globally. Over the years, as environmental legislation has been adopted, the type and make up of refrigerants used has changed.
From CFCs and HCFCs to HFCs, HFOs and natural refrigerants, the gases in use have changed to reduce the impact on our natural environment. Lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants continue to be developed as we look to build a more sustainable future.
But relying on the development and use of lower GWP gases alone is not enough to reduce emissions globally. It is estimated that there are 90 billion tonnes of CO2-e emissions requiring abatement within the existing installed bank of Ozone Depleting Substances and HFC refrigerants. In anybody’s book that is a vast amount of potential emissions. If these legacy refrigerants are not recovered, and then reclaimed or disposed of correctly, much of the great work of the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will suffer.
Used refrigerant released into the atmosphere is a significant contributor in the acceleration of global warming. According to COPA (Climate and Ozone Protection Alliance) the yearly global emissions of Ozone Depleting Substances and HFCs are the equivalent of 1.5 gigatonnes of CO2-e – that is the same as the emission released by 441 coal-fuelled power stations.
It is clear that reducing leakage and recovering refrigerants for future re-use has a far greater impact on our climate than the adoption of lower GWP refrigerants alone. Where there are no further uses for recovered gases they should be destroyed of by the most efficient and effective means possible.
Reclaimed refrigerant sent to A-Gas’ reprocessing centres undergoes chemical analysis, is cleaned of contaminants, and goes through our reclamation and separation plant, creating a product that matches that of virgin refrigerant specification. This refrigerant becomes a fully reclaimed product and is returned to the market in line with the AHRI 700 standard, replacing the need for virgin production.
According to industry experts there are six pillars of Lifecycle Refrigerant Management that we need to be aware of and adopt:
Where reclamation of used gas is no longer possible or where gas has no further use, A-Gas will dispose of the material responsibly using certified and licensed technologies.
Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM) is an effective and deliverable circular economy solution on the journey to net-zero. It forces us to seek greater efficiencies and make better use of what we already have. Adopting the practices of Lifecycle Refrigerant Management is key if our industry is to overcome the hurdles on the road to net-zero.
Lifecycle Refrigerant Management works in harmony with the Montreal Protocol and helps us achieve our goals faster. It goes beyond the supply of refrigerants, focusing on saving emissions and preventing the need for the production of virgin refrigerant.
