Daikin invests in organic refrigerant reclamation
14th January 2023
JAPAN: Daikin has invested in Atomis, a Japanese startup company from Kyoto University, that is developing organic compounds for the reclamation of refrigerants.
The work is using porous coordination polymers (PCPs), also called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). They are described as “porous materials” with countless nano-sized pores that form a regular, continuous three-dimensional structure of metals and organic compounds. It is possible to freely design the lattice-like pore space, and by changing the size, shape, and characteristics of the pores, it is possible to adsorb and separate only specific gas molecules.
Daikin has been collaborating with Atomis since 2020, applying Atomis’ advanced gas control technology to the separation and regeneration of refrigerant gas recovered from air conditioners.
Atomis will use the funds, procured through a third-party allotment of new shares, to accelerate this process and expand its production process for the mass production of MOFs. Daikin will promote the use of MOF in the refrigerant regeneration process at its chemical plants, aiming to improve the accuracy and speed of removing impurities from refrigerants.
