The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the next stage of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act calls for the phased reduction of several refrigerant mixtures with high Global Warming Potential (GWP). GWP is a standard measure of the impact a greenhouse gas has on the environment as compared with carbon dioxide (CO2). A kilogram of CO2 has an assigned GWP of 1. One of the high-GWP refrigerants set to be phased-out by The AIM Act is R-507, which has a GWP of 3,985, meaning that one ton of R-507 has the same potential global warming effect as nearly 4,000 tons of CO2. R-507 is a common household refrigerant widely used in low-to-medium temperature residential refrigeration systems such as condensing units, refrigeration units, and HVACR systems. A possible replacement for R-507 is R-449A (Opteon™ XP40), a Chemours product with a 67% lower GWP compared to R-507.
To reach the AIM Act’s mandated target of an 85% phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) production by 2036, the EPA will continually set regulations and allowances for the consumption and production of certain high GWP refrigerants. R-507 is a commercial blend containing a 50/50 mixture of R-125 and R-143a, both of which are individually listed in the Act. Existing systems will require HFC refrigerants like R-507 for decades to come, so alongside replacing HFCs with lower GWP alternatives, the industry will also need to rely heavily on recycling existing HFCs in order to make up for reduced production. To incentivize this, EPA has also begun setting minimum requirements for recycled refrigerant in new systems to maximize reclamation of both existing and next-gen refrigerants. A valuable industrial material, R-507 can be recovered for re-use in new, more environmentally friendly refrigerant blends or repurposed as raw material. Using Icorium Engineering Company’s extractive distillation technology, R-507 can be separated into pure R-125 and R-143a. The R-125 can be used to produce new commercial refrigerants such as R-452A and R-449A containing certified Icoreon™ recycled refrigerant, while the R-143a can be repurposed as a chemical feedstock for producing nonregulated products.”
R-507 is just one of many high GWP refrigerants that will be eventually phased out and replaced under the AIM Act and other legislation. As more legislation worldwide calls for regulations on the environmental impact of refrigerants, there will be an increasing need for new technologies to enable the industry to reutilize existing refrigerants through recycling and reclamation.
Timeline:
2020: AIM Act allows EPA to address the issue of HFCs through phase down of production and consumption, maximizing reclamation and minimizing releases, and facilitating the transition into the next generation of refrigerants
2021: The Final Rule was issued under the AIM Act to create new regulations phasing down HFCs by 85% by 2036
2023: Reached a 10% decrease in consumption and production compared to baseline of 302.5 million metric tons of exchange value equivalent (MMTEVe) consumption and 382.5 MMTEVe production.
2024-2028: Proposed 40% decrease in consumption and production compared to baseline.
2029-2033: Proposed 70% decrease in consumption and production compared to baseline.
2036: From 2036 and after, a decrease of 85% consumption and production of baseline as mandated in AIM Act