In today’s world, we are collectively more aware of mankind’s impact on the environment. We now understand that our actions not only impact our fellow man, but also our world in general. Scientists discovered in the early 70s that humans were contributing to ozone depletion. It was the technological advances of the time that began opening our eyes. Many chemicals frequently used included CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), a compound of chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms. CFCs work great when they are contained within an air tight system such as an air conditioner or a refrigerator. It’s when they are released into the atmosphere is when the trouble begins.
Ozone is a very unstable atom, more especially when it’s mixed with chlorine. Natural occurrences such as the eruption of a volcano or ocean waters vaporizing will also release chlorine into the atmosphere. This chlorine atom will break down in the lower stratosphere long before it would have a chance to reach the ozone layer. Chlorine atoms in CFCs will make it passed the lower stratosphere because they are a compound and not a singular atom. When the sun’s UV rays hit the CFCs, the compound breaks up and the chlorine atom is released and rises to ozone layer.
If the world were to eliminate CFCs today, our ozone layer would be healthy by the year 2050. The United States has been diligent in the fight to eliminate CFCs. Banning the use of the compound in aerosol cans and phasing out the refrigerant known as R-12 were just the beginning. It was the Clean Air Act of 1990 that finally put regulations in place to control the chlorinated chemicals. It was this law that made the release of refrigerants into the environment illegal. Refrigerants are the biggest contributor to ozone depletion. Although CFCs were phased out in 1996, they were replaced by hybrid refrigerants called HCFCs or hydrochloroflourocarbons. The most common HCFC refrigerant is R-22 and used in most home air conditioners until recently.
Hybrids were introduced in the 1980s. They weren’t an acceptable substitute at first, but the experts found, by adding a hydrogen atom to the CFC compound, you could not only make the refrigerant as cold as the original, but also more friendly toward the environment. The addition of hydrogen to refrigerants would make the compound more reactive to the other gasses in the atmosphere and would prevent the compound from reaching the stratosphere. The problem is that the HCFCs still contain chlorine.
As of January 1, 2010, the United States was finally able to stop the production of refrigerants containing chlorine atoms by phasing out the HCFC refrigerants and replacing them with a different type of hybrid that has zero chlorine. This refrigerant is known as a HFCs or hydrofluorocarbon made of hydrogen, fluorine and carbon. The most common variation of this particular refrigerant is R-410a.
The reason is took so long for the government to phase out CFCs and HCFCs was due to the replacement compounds wouldn’t get as cold. The trick to using the HFC refrigerant is to nearly double the operating pressures of the old refrigerants in order to create the desired cooling within a space. By perfecting this science, the Honeywell Corporation was able to create a functioning refrigerant that was virtually harmless to ozone depletion. However, it is still a refrigerant, meaning it is a noxious fume and if released into the environment will contribute to global warming. It has 1725 times the effect of carbon dioxide and is therefore illegal to release into the atmosphere. The fine if caught for releasing any type of refrigerant into the atmosphere is $30,000. It’s a hefty penalty and enough incentive for HVAC contractors to properly recover and recycle old refrigerants.