$26m US award for refrigerant research

USA: The University of Kansas has been awarded $26m to establish a technology hub for the creation of a sustainable and circular refrigerant economy.

The award from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent agency of the US government, will support the establishment of the Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH).

EARTH will serve as the national refrigerant research centre with the intention to lower emissions, reduce GWP and increase energy efficiency by developing sustainable refrigerants to address climate change. It will bring together 80 institutions and researchers from a wide array of disciplines. 

The University of Kansas KU, the lead institution, will be joined by partners at the University of Notre Dame, University of Maryland, University of Hawai’i, University of South Dakota and Lehigh University. 

The project will be renewable after five years for a further $26m.

“Working closely with industry partners, EARTH will have the resources and expertise to solve the technical, environmental and economic challenges required to create a sustainable refrigerant lifecycle that will benefit Kansans, the nation and the world,” said University of Kansas chancellor Douglas A Girod.

Multidisciplinary research teams will focus on three key areas: promoting the recycling and repurposing of refrigerants, developing transformative refrigerants and creating next-generation cooling and heating technologies with higher energy efficiency.

“There is a tremendous need to develop cooling/heating technologies that use less energy and new refrigerants that are safe for the environment. EARTH will be a critical national resource to address these challenges,” said Mary Rezac, dean of the KU School of Engineering.