Refrigerants Infographic Final

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.

COMPARING ACTUAL EMISSIONS TOTAL EU EMISSIONS1 (million tes)

WITH MORE THAN 69000 X MORE CO2 EMITTED THAN HFCs

2 CO2 HCs NH3 HFCs EMISSIONS OF HFOs ARE MUCH LOWER THAN FOR HFCs

3640.61 6.92 3.59 0.05

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.

1 Note 1 Total emissions from all sectors including industry and agriculture, reported by Eurostat or EEA. 2 Note 2 Hydrocarbons (HCs) are non-methane volatile organic compounds controlled under the Convention on (94% of ammonia emissions are from agriculture in 2010 EEA). HFOs emissions are currently much lower than HFCs. Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). Some 80% of the emissions arise from commercial, household CO2 and HFCs emissions are for 2015, HCs for 2011, and NH3 for 2013 and industrial applications (2011 EEA). REFRIGERANTS: THE COLD NUMBERS

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 and for some refrigerants, TFA naturally in the atmosphere. TFA are present naturally in both or formic acid. Fluoride is found all over coastal and deep-ocean the globe and is naturally seawater. HFCs and HFOs will transported by winds. add only 0.1% to the amounts already naturally present.

REFRIGERANT PRODUCTION

Manufacturing all refrigerant gases requires energy due to their production processes.

COMPARING PRODUCTION

EMBEDDED ENERGY (Gj/te)3 TOTAL EU PRODUCTION (million tes)4

65-105 37 24 10 15 20 3 0.03

* HFC134a NH3 C5H10 C4H10 CO2 HCs NH3 HFCs *used as foam blowing agent Other uses

Globally most CO2 is used HCs (LPG) are used NH3 is mainly used HFCs are used as HFOs are used for for Enhanced Oil mainly as fuel and in industrial propellant in foam blowing Recovery (EOR, fracking) also as aerosol production of MDIs for asthma and technical mainly in the USA (Global propellants and other chemicals treatment aerosols CCS Institute). Other main for foam Including fertilizers and for foam applications are beverage blowing blowing carbonisation and food industry usage.

3 4 Data sources : McCulloch A. and N.J. Campbell (1998), The Climate Change Implications of Producing Refrigerants, CO2 estimate for Western Europe in 2015, captured from emission streams, fermentation. and natural gas processing plants.

in Natural Working Fluids '98, Proceedings of the IIR-Gustav Lorentzen Conference, June 2-5 1998, Oslo, Norway, Estimated EU refinery production of LPG (2013), Other LPG is produced from natural gas. NH3 EU production capacity pages 191-199, pub. International Institute of Refrigeration, Paris, 1998 in 2014 (Centre of European Policy Studies)