PHILADELPHIA — When Jennifer Byrne, owner and technician at Comfy Heating and Cooling, gets a call to come fix a relatively new air conditioning system, one of the first questions she asks is: Maybe the house has just been renovated.
The City of Byrne discovered shoddy renovations in West Philadelphia where installers skipped steps such as post-installation pressure tests. As a result, ice can build up and cooling chemicals called refrigerants can leak.
“This problem happens all too often around here. Most people say they bought a house that flipped over, the air conditioner froze, and all sorts of other things that went wrong,” Byrne said. He talked about the accumulation of
“We’re trying to do it as cheaply as possible,” she added as she carried equipment from the truck.
It’s not a small problem. Such a refrigerant leak would be highly destructive to Earth’s sensitive atmosphere. According to one research paper, they are “the most potent greenhouse gas known to modern science” and are increasing rapidly.
One of the most common, with the unfriendly name R-410A, is 2,088 times more harmful to the climate than the carbon dioxide produced by burning coal or gasoline. Therefore, an important way for people to stay cool is to make the world hotter and more unstable.
This is why the Clean Air Act prohibits the intentional release of most refrigerants. The Environmental Protection Agency is required to phase out 85% of one type of chemical by 2036, and progress is being made to develop and disseminate cleaner alternatives.
Byrne’s truck is loaded with tools, canisters, hoses, and special sealed cylinders, including an Industry Pink cylinder housing the powerful R-410A. When working on her leaking AC unit, she drains the remaining refrigerant into her one of the cylinders for safe storage while she disassembles the parts.
But these home air conditioner leaks are just one way in which refrigerants seep into the atmosphere, increasing levels appreciably and contributing to an increase in extreme weather events.
Cars are another source of these superpollutants, says Eckhart Grohl, a refrigeration expert and chair of mechanical engineering at Purdue University. His AC system in a gasoline car is “leaky”, with all vehicles leaking an average of about 25% of refrigerant each year. Grohl says there are more than 200 million gasoline-powered vehicles in the United States alone, which means about 100 million pounds of refrigerant leaks into the atmosphere each year.
Supermarkets are the second largest source of leaks due to the large and extensive piping that transports refrigerant to refrigerated display cases. Daniel Wright, executive director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council, an advocacy group, said the average supermarket leaks about 25% of its refrigerant each year, consistent with a 2011 Environmental Protection Agency document. Then he said.
“I don’t think (supermarkets) are necessarily cutting corners, but let me tell you this: It’s cheaper to have a refrigerant leak than it is to build a leak-proof system,” Wright said.
The need to minimize refrigerant leaks has fueled the reuse and remanufacturing industry. One company is his A-Gas Rapid Recovery, which has facilities in Dallas, Texas, Toledo, Ohio, and Punta Gorda, Florida, among others.
Mike Armstrong, president of A-Gas Americas, said the refrigerant can be used over and over again and lasts for 30 years. The company accepts refrigerators and tanks from across the country and abroad, drains them, purifies and recovers chemicals, and ships recycled products. This eliminates the need for new chemical production.
“Some technicians back then were literally cutting lines and releasing gas into the atmosphere,” said Anthony Nash, A-Gas Network training manager. Now, “the EPA and the regulations we have in place make it not only illegal, but unethical,” he said.
Refrigerants that cannot be reused undergo a very high temperature process called pyrolysis, which destroys the gas. Business is booming.
“This industry will probably grow four to five times over the next few years,” Armstrong said.
At the same time, the chemical industry is looking for a successor. So far, some are much better for the climate, but they may have other downsides, such as flammability, and the long-term impact on the environment is unknown.
Many researchers are studying carbon dioxide itself as a refrigerant. But Grohl pointed out that they would have to be exposed to very high pressures and would require a different system.
“Carbon dioxide would be a great thing if we could take it out of the atmosphere,” said Christopher Cappa, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of California, Davis. “But if you’re just producing it as a refrigerant, it’s not necessarily going to be as good.”
“You could imagine a future where we move to a nearly fossil fuel-free economy and the main source of carbon dioxide is pulling it out of the atmosphere,” Cappa said.
Commercial buyers looking for a cleaner refrigerator can now find it. “This is a low-hanging fruit, it’s a known technology, and it’s ready to go to market,” Wright said.
However, when it comes to air conditioners, it’s a different story. Wright argues that lobbying efforts by chemical and HVAC equipment manufacturers, as well as specific codes and standards, are slowing the growth of cleaner refrigerants for air conditioning in the United States.
However, one leading manufacturer, Train Technologies, is working hard to develop cleaner alternatives and has selected an alternative that is 78% less harmful than the current product, which it will phase in into its division from 2024. Then he said.
Jarrad Mason, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University, is working with his colleagues to develop refrigerants that are solids rather than vapors. The mineral perovskite is good at absorbing heat under low pressure, allowing it to cool its surroundings.
Although research into solid refrigerants is in its early stages, Mason said he is optimistic about its potential because it could be used in refrigerators, commercial buildings and homes.
“The demand for heating and cooling will only continue to grow, and it is critical that we provide it to everyone around the world in a sustainable and economical way,” he said.
Isabella O’Malley, Associated Press