German Study of HFO and TFA Due in Early 2021 By Michael Garry, Jan 13, 2021, 14:17 • 5 minute reading Research project will focus on the refrigeration/air conditioning sector, amid growing industry concerns about the long-term environmental impact of TFA.
When it escapes into the atmosphere, the HFO R1234yf – used widely in motor vehicle air conditioning and in food retail applications in blends with HFCs – lasts only up to two weeks. It then breaks down completely into trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a highly durable and mobile substance.
TFA descends via rainfall as a form of “acid rain to the earth; there it accumulates in various bodies of water, including rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands.
But the extent of COVID-19 mitigation will tell the tale.
Over the past 15 years, natural refrigerants – particularly CO
2 (R744) and propane (R290), as well as ammonia (R717) – have become recognized as the most environmentally friendly and future-proof replacement for HCFCs and HFCs in commercial and industrial refrigeration.
The change began in Europe, prompted by the advent of the EU F-Gas Regulation in 2006, and caught on in Japan, where CO
2 had already made its mark in heat pump water heaters. Other regions like the U.S., Australia/New Zealand and South Africa have come later to the party.
In 2021, two world-historical events should help drive uptake in installations of natural refrigerant-based systems throughout the world. First is the growing urgency of the climate crisis, as the prevalence of wildfires, droughts, extreme storms, rising sea levels and other damaging effects becomes inescapable. The other is the replacement of climate denialist Donald Trump as p