REFRIGERANTS: THE COLD NUMBERS

When it comes to the impact of refrigerants on the environment, you can find lots of data but much is used out of context. Here are some of the facts put in perspective.

NATURAL... OR NOT?

Hydrocarbons, such as Although they can be C4H10 Isobutane (C4H10) and found in nature, the gases C3H8 Propane (C3H8), used are industrial ammonia (NH3), and gases, just like HFCs & carbon dioxide (CO2) HFOs, and are produced NH3 CO2 are sometimes referred to as in refineries or other “natural refrigerants” industrial facilities HFCs & HFOs

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE

End-of-Life products of HCs, NH3, CO2, HFC and HFO refrigerants occur abundantly in nature. Refrigerant selection should be based upon technical performance and resource eciency, safety in use, energy eciency and the lowest GWP compatible with the application, and not an arbitrary and misleading ‘natural’ label.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF "NATURAL REFRIGERANT" GASES

NH3 emissions HCs are Volatile CO2 Organic can lead to Compounds that changes in soil cause photochemical and water quality CO2 emissions are the primary smog while breaking and contribute to the cause of global warming and HFCs formation of persist in the atmosphere for hundreds down to CO2 and NH3 other compounds. particulate aerosols of years. CO2 is also a major cause of in the atmosphere. acidification of the oceans.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF HFCs & HFOs BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS

All of the final breakdown products of fluorocarbon refrigerants, already occur in nature in very large quantities and so HFCs & HFOs have little impact. HFCs & HFOs WHAT DO THESE WHAT ARE OCCUR ABOUT THEY?? NATURALLY?? ?TFA? Fluoride, carbon dioxide Yes. Formic acid occurs Over 200 million tonnes of TFA and for some refrigerants, TFA naturally in the atmosphere. are present naturally in both coastal or formic acid. Fluoride is found all over and deep-ocean seawater. HFCs the globe and is naturally and HFOs will add less than 7.5% transported by winds. (for a upper range scenario) to the amounts already naturally present.

2 Hydrocarbons (HCs) are non-methane volatile organic compounds controlled under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). Some 80% of the emissions arise from commercial, household and industrial applications (2011 EEA). REFRIGERANT GASES COMPARED

POCPs (Photochemical Ozone Creation Potentials)

HFC-32 HFC-134a negligible contribution to smog formation HFC-152a HCFO-1233zd(E) HFO-1336mzz(Z) HFO-1234ze(E) HFO-1234yf ethane propane R-290 isobutane R-600a n-butane R-600 ethene propene R-1270 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

HFCs & HFOs have negligible contribution to smog formation

Global Warming Potentials Atmospheric lifetimes

Widely used HFCs 120 to 3500 1.5 to 40 years

HFOs and HCFOs <1 to 7 10 to 67 days

Hydrocarbons 4 to 7 (includes indirect GWP effects) 0.4 to 15 days

Carbon dioxide CO2 1 several hundred years

Ammonia NH3 <1 a few days

THE HFOS AND HCFOS ARE RAPIDLY REMOVED FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND HAVE A NEGLIGIBLE CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL WARMING

Comparing CO2 and short- lifetime HFCs such as Comparing ammonia with HFCs and HFOs HFC-134a and HFC-32 for acidification Short-lifetime greenhouse gases affect the climate in qualita- Ammonia is one of the main air pollutants contributing to

tively different ways to CO2, with constant rates of emission acidification in the EU as it forms acidic species in the leading to an approximately constant level of raised global atmosphere, which are then rained out (“acid rain”). HFCs average temperature but not a sustained and continually and HFOs are estimated to contribute less than 0.5% and

increasing warming as is occurring for CO2 this is insignificant in the context of the main acidification air-pollutants

www.fluorocarbons.org