By Joanna Turpin

As the U.S. phases down HFC production under the AIM Act, the HVACR industry is facing significant pressure to manage these refrigerants more effectively to avoid potential shortages. This effort largely depends on recovering and reclaiming refrigerants, a strategy the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is counting on to maintain existing equipment despite shrinking supplies of new refrigerants.

This is the same approach the EPA used during the phaseout of HCFCs such as R-22, where reclaiming these ozone-depleting substances ensured an adequate refrigerant supply for servicing equipment. However, many are concerned that the current amount of reclaimed HFCs falls far short of meeting demand — and with good reason. EPA previously reported that only relatively small amounts of HFCs were being reclaimed, and in 2020, a mere 1.6% of the HFCs sold were reclaimed and ready for reuse.

However, the trend may be changing, as the EPA recently reported a roughly 20% increase in the total volume of HFCs reclaimed in 2023 compared to 2022 (see Figure 1). The report credits the rise mainly to the increased reclamation of R-134a and R-410A, which drove much of the year-over-year growth. The EPA also noted substantial year-over-year increases in the reclamation of R-404A and R-407A. This comes on the heels of an approximately 40% increase in HFC reclamation that took place between 2021 and 2022.

EPA is hoping that HFC reclamation will continue this upward trajectory as the U.S. continues to phase down the production and consumption of virgin HFCs. Starting January 1, 2024, total production and consumption of virgin HFCs was reduced to 60% of the baseline, with further phasedown steps taking place through 2036.

Despite the legal prohibition on venting HFCs, HVACR contractors and technicians have often skipped recovering refrigerants due to inadequate financial incentives and the added costs of dealing with mixed refrigerants. However, this is changing, as many reclaimers are no longer charging for mixed refrigerants, and they're paying more to those who bring in recovered refrigerants.

Click here to find an EPA-certified reclaimer.

Kathy Knutson, Ph.D., PCQI, is the Founder of Kathy Knutson Food Safety Consulting LLC. She is also an author and the former Chair of the Education Committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), with expertise in the fields of bacteriology, food science, and education. She speaks, writes, and trains on U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act (FDA FSMA) compliance, and has trained over 500 Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals (PCQIs) throughout her career. Dr. Knutson works with managers to help them write thorough hazard analyses, food safety plans, recall plans, environmental monitoring programs, and allergen programs. Additionally, she travels to manufacturers to conduct swabbing to locate pathogens during recall investigations, as well as for gap assessments of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for cannabis-infused edibles. In 2020, Dr. Knutson published her book, titled, Food Safety Lessons for Cannabis-Infused Edibles.