SOLVAY Phasing out ozone-depleting substances: Industry responses to more sustainable consumption and production Jacques de Gerlache, Ph.D. senior toxicologist Sustainability & Crisis Corporate Communications, Solvay, & European Fluorocarbons Technical Committee (EFCTC)
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SOLVAY Phasing out ozone-depleting substances: Industry responses to more sustainable consumption and production Jacques de Gerlache, Ph.D. senior toxicologist.
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SOLVAY
Phasing out ozone-depleting substances: Industry responses to more sustainable
“Perhaps the single most successful international environmental agreement to date”
• Atmospheric levels of key ozone depleting substances are going down : some chlorinated solvents, CFCs, soon H-CFCs;– Ozone layer should return to pre-1980 levels by 2050 to
2075• Substantial climate benefits
– Climate impact : Approximately 25 billion tonnes of CO2 weighted global warming gasses reduction by 2000
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From CFCs phase out to H-CFCs phase outAFEAS CFCs Annual Production Tonnes
GWP-weigthed emissions of CFCs, H-CFCs, HFCs compared to fossil fuel CO2
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Consumers issues : Find alternatives to CFCs and H-CFCs in targetted applications
• HFCs are used where they provide a better answer than other solutions, or where other solutions cannot be used due to safety, health or technical reasons.
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Consumers issues : are alternatives to CFCs and H-CFCs equally safe ?
Meanwhile, although without impact on the ozone layer, HFCs are greenhouse gases
• Their Global Warming Potential (GWP) however is in general lower than the CFCs and HCFCs they replace ;
• Their containment and responsible use over the lifetime of their applications can lead to overall climate benefits.
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Too often, the debate is focused solely on the GWP
Equally important are :• THE QUANTITIES OF GAS EMITTED:
compared to the huge amounts of CO2, CH4 or NOx emitted, the F-gases are minor contributors to the climate impact;
• THE REAL LIFETIME OF THESE GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE: HFCs are essentially degraded in the atmosphere within decades; in contrast, CO2 emissions persist for centuries.
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1st lesson learn : (H)-CFCs substitution :the most important contribution to the decrease of
greenhouse gas emissions
• In 1990, CFCs represented 25% of greenhouse gas emissions ;.
• In 2010, the HFCs replacing them will represent only 2%.
This achievement, made possible with HFCs, represents about 4 times the objectives of the
Kyoto Protocol.
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2D lesson learn : "don't force to danse quicker than the music can play"
In 1994, a company in Europe was the first to stop producing CFCs ;
Some months later the Commission was forced to autorise imports from outside Europe because it was technically not possible to shift so quickly from CFCs to alternatives, including H-CFCs !
Who took advantage of this ? Neither Europe, neither the ozone layer .
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F-gases as alternative to (H)-CFCs may contribute to reduce further the greenhouse
effect.
Why ? BECAUSE THEIR ENERGY EFFICIENCY : • Over the lifetime of an application, the reduction in climate impact
resulting from the improved energy efficiency obtained by using an HFC in some applications can be more important than the impact resulting from the HFC used if it was emitted (which is not necessarily the case).
• Energy efficiency improvements from using HFCs and the impact of their use through the lifetime of the equipment should thus be considered via Life Cycle Climate Performance analysis (LCCP), case by case, before imposing use restrictions and bans.
• Studies are available for insulation foam or the refrigeration chain.
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A first remaining challenge : collect and recycle or destroy remaining (H)-CFCs
• Mainly CFCs and H-CFCs "banks" in old appliances ;
• The whole chain of users has to be involved ; partnerships are the key ; cost management is a must ;
• Producers are ready to play their role : a European producer has a industrial unit operating in Germany to
destroy CFCs and HFCs which recycle Fluorhydric acid and this company has a system in place with customers to recycle SF6 .
• A balance between regulation and incentives is a key to the success.
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A second remaining challenge : Monitoring and containing F-gas emissions This is the objective of the F-Gas Regulation 842/2006 • Key Measures applied from 4 July 2007
– Containment and some specific use bans• Current focus on Implementation