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Honeywell to Reduce HFC Production, Increase Output of Low GWP Refrigerants

Sept. 22, 2014
The company and its suppliers anticipate spending nearly $900 million in R&D and new capacity, mainly in the U.S., in the coming years to produce next-generation refrigerants, insulation materials, aerosols and solvents.

Sources for Honeywell announced during a meeting at the White House on Sept. 16 that it will increase production of its low-global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerants, insulation materials, aerosols and solvents, and, prior to 2020, will drive a 50% reduction in its annual production of high-GWP hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) on a CO2 equivalent basis. The company projects that use of its low-GWP Solstice HFC replacements will eliminate more than 350 million metric tons in CO2 equivalents by 2025, equivalent to removing 70 million cars from the road for one year.

Honeywell and its suppliers anticipate spending nearly $900 million in R&D and new capacity, mainly in the U.S., in the coming years to produce next-generation refrigerants, insulation materials, aerosols and solvents, which have global warming potentials equal to or better than carbon dioxide and at least 99 percent lower than most technologies used today. Honeywell has invested nearly $350 million to date and today announced that it and its suppliers plan to spend approximately $550 million more to support the new products.

Honeywell has already reduced its CO2-equivalent fluorocarbon production by 30% since 2007 by converting legacy production assets to low-global-warming technologies. The company plans to reduce CO2-equivalent production of HFCs by an additional 50% over the next five years as customers throughout the world adopt new LGWP products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and meet proposed tighter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

Honeywell made the announcement at a White House event that brought refrigerant formulators and other HVACR companies together for idea sharing and insight into the companies activities to phaseout older gasses.

“Regulators around the world are taking steps to address climate change, and Honeywell is an industry leader in this area with technologies that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and an array of technologies that promote energy efficiency and cleaner energy production,” said Darius Adamczyk, president and chief executive officer of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies.

Honeywell has developed a range of hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) products with extremely low global warming potentials – either equal to or less than carbon dioxide – that are safe, available today and capable of making a significant positive environmental impact. These products are alternatives to HFCs that are energy-efficient, safe to use, non-ozone-depleting and have a minimal global warming profile.

Honeywell’s Solstice line of HFOs include Solstice yf for automobile air conditioning, Solstice Propellant for aerosol applications, Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent and Gas Blowing Agent for foam applications and Solstice Performance Fluid for use as an industrial solvent. Each of these products has been approved under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. Solstice yf is already being used in more than 1 million vehicles, a number that is expected to double this year. Widespread adoption of Solstice yf would yield the equivalent environmental benefit of removing 30 million automobiles from the roads worldwide.

In addition to its industry-leading line of low-global-warming-potential HFOs, Honeywell’s Fluorine Products business manufactures and supplies non-ozone-depleting refrigerants used by top air-conditioning and refrigeration makers worldwide, blowing agents for energy-efficient foam insulation, and hydrofluoric acid and precursors for nuclear fuel.

Nearly 50% of Honeywell’s portfolio is dedicated to energy-efficient products and services. In addition to developing and producing low-global-warming materials, Honeywell manufactures programmable thermostats and energy management systems, turbochargers, green fuels, industrial controls and lighter aircraft components. The use of Honeywell technologies could reduce energy demand in the United States by 20 to 25% if they were immediately and comprehensively adopted across the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors.