Fluorochemicals and refrigerants
Refrigerant gases (HCFC-22, HFC-32, HFC-134a, HFOs) and fluorinated building blocks made from HF; quota-controlled under Kigali and a big Indian profit pool.
Fine chemicals · Other fine chemicals · No. 101
- Product family
- Feedstock: Minerals and salts
- about 2.5-3 Mt of fluorocarbons a year (indicative, basis: about 1.65 Mt HF to fluorocarbons at about 0.5-0.8 t HF per t product)
- 545 t CO₂e per t
- HS 290349, 290341
The gas in your air conditioner is rationed by global treaty, and China holds over 80% of the world's quotas.
Chart: Illustration: Fluorochemicals and refrigerants
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Fluorspar and sulphuric acid make HF, which replaces chlorine in chloroform or methylene chloride; a tonne of R32 needs about 0.77 t of HF.
Three things to know
- HFC-23, a by-product of R22 with a warming power of about 14,700 times CO2, was still emitted at 14.0 Gg in 2023.
- Stationary air conditioning takes about 35% of fluorocarbons, mostly R32, R410A and R22.
- India freezes HFCs in 2028 under Kigali, and SRF is building a 20 kt a year HFO plant in Odisha.
The journey
- 1 FluorsparAbout 2.1 t mined spar per t HF
- 2 HF acidMade with sulphuric acid in kilns
- 3 FluorinationHF swaps chlorine in chlorinated hydrocarbons
- 4 Refrigerant gasesR32, R134a, R125, HFOs in cylinders
- 5 CoolingAir conditioners, cars, supermarket fridges