FCT: FRIULAIR’S REPLY TO THE F-GAS REGULATION

Many countries are introducing regulations aimed to reduce the use and diffusion of refrigerant gases harmful for the environment. The refrigerant gases responsible for the degradation of the atmospheric ozone layer have been banned since years in several Countries and today only those with ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) equal to zero are employed. European Union, always attentive to environmental protection, has recently begun the fight to reduce the emission of greenhouse effect substances too, which are responsible for global warming. Refrigerant gases represent a huge part of this category; for this reason the EU F-GAS REGULATION 517/2014 has been issued requiring a gradual reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases commercialized in the market, with the aim of reducing their environmental impact.

In particular, the regulation requires that by 2030 the quantity (in CO2 equivalent) of refrigerant gas that can be commercialized in Europe must be 21% of the average quantity of refrigerants on the Union market in the period from 2009 to 2012. It is important to note that the refrigerant quantities just mentioned are not expressed by weight: in fact, the EU assigns the annual quota of refrigerant that each producer or importer can market in Europe not by mass but rather as a mass of CO₂ equivalent. This value is obtained by calculating the product between the mass of the gas and its GWP (Global Warming Potential) value, which is a specific chemical characteristic of each refrigerant. In the light of this, in order to achieve these important targets set by the EU without reducing the total quantity (in mass) of refrigerants necessary for the needs of the refrigeration industries, it is essential to use new gases with lower GWP values, i.e. more eco-sustainable.