Since HFOs are technically HFCs, modifying some existing HFC systems to HFOs or blends is possible. Therefore, HFC/HFO blends can work as drop-ins in existing systems. This is often cheaper than changing to natural refrigerants, which require entirely new systems and are associated with high upfront costs.
HFOs are promoted as environmentally friendly due to their very low GWP and non-existent ODP. There are, however, other environmental and potential health concerns. HFOs degrade to Trifluoroacetic Acids (TFA) in the atmosphere. Some HFOs like HFO-1234yf completely break down to TFA, and others like HFO-1234ze only partly break down to TFA. TFA is an ultra-short PFAS that is highly persistent when it ends up in water bodies. Studies show a continued increase in TFA concentrations in water bodies across Europe.
Legislation
HFOs are listed as Annex II gases in the European F-gas Regulation No 517/2014 and are only partly covered by the regulation. HFOs are currently subject to the reporting requirements described in Article 19. However, this will likely change with the upcoming update of the F-gas Regulation. The proposal, for instance, includes HFOs in Article 4 (prevention of emissions) and 8 (recovery and destruction). ECHA is currently treating a proposal to ban per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), which, if adopted, can greatly impact the future use of HFOs since HFOs fall under the proposed PFAS definition.
The countries mapped in this study have all implemented EU F-gas Regulation or equivalent regulation, except for the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are currently in the process of adopting their first legislation on F-gases, HFOs are not included. Denmark, Iceland and Norway have all implemented refund schemes for HFCs. There is no refund for HFOs in Norway. On the contrary, it is associated with costs to hand in HFOs after recovery. The Danish refund scheme is voluntary. Denmark, Iceland, and Norway have all placed a tax on fluorinated refrigerants. HFOs are exempt in Norway and Iceland. In Denmark, the tax on HFO-1234yf and HFO1234ze is only 0.17 €/kg because the substance’s GWP determines the fee. Sweden has implemented a regulation that mandates that those who supply F-gases must take these back and provide containers for this purpose, free of charge. HFOs are not covered by the regulation.
End-of-life
HFOs and appliances containing HFOs are still relatively new on the market, meaning that many of the appliances containing HFOs are still in use and have not yet reached their end-of-life stage. It can take years or decades before they are decommissioned and enter the waste stream. For example, building insulation has a lifetime of decades, and heat pumps have an average lifetime of 15 years. At decommissioning, the initial amount is not always recoverable; some are lost during the use phase. For instance, aerosol propellants are released when used, and in cars AC systems are allowed an annual leakage rate of 40–60g. However, closed circuit systems should not leak during their lifetime. Accidental leakages during the dismantling process or the following waste processing can happen. It is known to be a problem in the building sector that F-gases are not recovered accordingly during the building demolition or renovation.
There are no treatment technical barriers to fitting HFOs into the existing systems for recovery, collection, recycling, reclamation and destruction. HFOs are already handled through the existing infrastructure to a great extent, and barriers to fitting HFOs into existing systems for other fluorinated refrigerants are rather a lack of inclusion in the legislation than a technical barrier. HFOs generally enter the waste stream through three main channels: refrigerants recovered by a technician from stationary RACHP equipment, waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), and car scrapping. All the Nordic countries have Extended producer responsibility for WEEE, and all car scrappers must be certified to handle F-gases. The Faroe Islands and Iceland export WEEE to H. J. Hansen in Denmark and Stena Recycling in Denmark and Sweden. Norway also exports WEEE to Stena Recycling in Sweden. Many practitioners working with F-gases reuse and recycle the F-gases themselves, and several professional collectors buy recovered refrigerants, recycle them, and sell them back to operating companies.
The only companies in the Nordics with an environmental permit for reclaiming refrigerants are Darment and Eco Scandic Oy, both located in Finland. Eco Scandic Oy receives refrigerants from Sweden and Finland, so far the amounts of HFO substances are minor. Fortum has destruction facilities in Sweden and Finland with the necessary permits to handle fluorinated refrigerants. Denmark, The Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway all export refrigerants for destruction elsewhere, primarily France and Germany.
Some HFOs are flammable refrigerants (A2L), so different equipment is needed for leak detection and recovery. The cylinder needs to be approved for flammable refrigerants, and the recovered refrigerant needs to be labelled, showing it contains a flammable substance. This type of equipment is available and required when handling other refrigerants, e.g., HFC-32, commonly used in RACHP applications, especially domestic heat pumps. However, the operators must be qualified to handle flammable refrigerants and their equipment.
The process for destroying HFOs is technically the same as for HFCs. The reclamation process varies slightly since some are A2L-classified refrigerants. Still, there are no technical barriers to reclaiming HFOs, and the Nordic reclamation company Eco Scandic Oy, for instance, reclaims both HFCs and HFOs.