Waste Freons Management in Ukraine

Abstract

Freons remaining in used refrigerating equipment, air conditioners, etc., pose a danger to the environment, as they are classified as hazardous waste and mostly have a high global warming potential. Since 1987, the production and use of some freons has been banned and they have been replaced by fluorocarbon compounds that have zero ozone-depleting potential. However, in Ukraine, much equipment still use old types of freons. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which reflects the measures taken to replace refrigerants, will be observed only in the next decades, when new products placed on the market will become waste. Basically, the type of freon used in Ukraine depends on the old used equipment already available in the country (predominantly freon R12) and the import of modern equipment (freons R134a, R600a). The largest amount of freon is used in air conditioners (primarily, industrial ones — up to 2.5 kg per unit of equipment), while household refrigerators contain a fairly small amount of freon. In Ukraine, there is a protocol for disposal of freon-containing equipment. Extraction of freon can be provided in various ways, the simplest of which is the collection of vapor refrigerant. After that, freon can be recycled for reuse or sent for disposal. In Ukraine, a small number of companies that have a special license and permit to work with chemical waste of hazard class 1 to 4 (special equipment is used) are officially engaged in the disposal of freon-containing equipment. In Ukraine, companies interested in recovered freon are working in the following fields: production of cosmetics, the filling of gas cylinders, production of refrigerating equipment, fire extinguishing, production of chemical products, production of air conditioners, dry cleaning (they use cleaning agents based on freon), production of aerosols (freons are used for ejection of substances) for mechanical engineering and maintenance of computer equipment, etc. In addition, freon leaks occur during the operation of the equipment, during adjustment, refueling or repair of the equipment. In the article, these losses are estimated at 9.5 kg/year.