Seized R22 contained hydrocarbon

GEORGIA: Customs authorities have revealed that an illegal consignment of R22 was contaminated.

The refrigerant, 100 1kg cylinders and 70 13.6kg cylinders, was seized because it did not carry the correct documentation. Some of the refrigerant was later found to be contaminated with other substances, including flammable hydrocarbon.

Georgia’s annual R22 import quota is 83.9 tonnes under the Montreal Protocol. Therefore, import, export, re-export and transit of ozone depleting substances without permission is illegal.

The consignment was initially stopped because the importer did not have appropriate quota. The on-site identification made by customs officers in Tbilisi revealed that the composition and amount of the refrigerant did not correspond to the information stated in the customs declaration.

The analysis of the content by the Georgian Refrigerant Recovery and Recycling Centre showed that all the non-refillable cylinders were under-charged and that the R22 in the 13.6 kg cylinders was contaminated with other substances, including 4% hydrocarbon.

Customs block trade in illegal refrigerant – 13th May, 2014
NAIROBI: The United Nation Environment Programme reports that the illegal trade in more than 1,300 tonnes of ozone-depleting gases has been prevented over the last 18 months. Read more…