Chemours plans to reduce HFC23 emissions
8th March 2021
USA: Chemours has announced the implementation of an improvement project to significantly reduce emissions of HFC23 at its Louisville, Kentucky manufacturing site.
HFC23 is a unique HFC that is commercialised for critical low-volume applications such as ultra-low temperature refrigerants for vaccines, medical utilisation, and semiconductor manufacturing. It is also produced as a by-product from the manufacture of the ozone-depleting HCFC refrigerant R22. However, it has a huge GWP of 14,800.
Chemours’ plans includes the design, custom-building and installation of proprietary technology to capture at least 99% of HFC23 process emissions from the site.
“Our Louisville site currently captures a majority of HFC23 process emissions,” said Chemours Advanced Performance Materials’ operations vice-president Tim Byrd.
“We’ve also implemented other process improvements to reduce the amount of HFC23 that gets created. It’s taken us some time to get here, but we are pleased to have initiated this next piece of our emission control plan that will allow us to capture at least 99% of HFC23 process emissions and move us closer to meeting our overall goal of a 99% or greater reduction in fluorinated emissions,” he added.
He noted that the company has explored various options for HFC emissions control over the past few years in order to decide on a final solution that is both efficient and highly effective. The custom manufacturing and installation of the multiple components needed for the proprietary system are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
Last year, an international team of scientists, led by the UK’s University of Bristol, was growing at record levels in the atmosphere as a result of it being vented during the production of R22 by developing countries.
Related stories:
High GWP byproduct of R22 growing at alarming rate – 21 January 2020
UK: HFC23, a potent greenhouse gas created as a byproduct of the manufacture of ozone-depleting refrigerant R22, has been found to be growing at record levels in the atmosphere. Read more…
India to cease emitting HFC23 – 15 October 2016
INDIA: In addition to agreeing an HFC phase down, India has also decreed that its chemical industry must collect and destroy emissions of its most potent greenhouse gas, HFC23. Read more…
Russians accused of abusing carbon credits – 28 August 2015
RUSSIA: Carbon credits worth millions of euros are said to have been fraudulently claimed by Russian factories for destroying HFC23, a by-product of producing R22. Read more…
