It was learned from the Foreign Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection that the Ministry of Environmental Protection will launch the second phase of the hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) elimination plan in the polyurethane industry. According to this plan, the complete phase-out of HCFC in the polyurethane (PU) foam industry will be advanced to the end of 2025.
On October 15, 2016, nearly 200 countries signed an agreement in Kigali, Rwanda, to reduce emissions of potent greenhouse gases hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), thereby Prevent global warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. This is the Kigali Amendment, which paves the way for the reduction of powerful greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons.
According to the Kigali Amendment, countries have agreed to include HFCs in the restricted list and have drawn up a timetable to gradually reduce them by 80% before 2040. -85% hydrofluorocarbons.
The amendment stipulates that developed countries will first reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons in 2019. More than 100 developing countries, including China, will freeze the use of HFCs from 2024, and some developing countries such as India and Pakistan will freeze from 2028.
Hydrofluorocarbons were originally used as a substitute for the elimination of Freon, so why were they targeted again? Experts told reporters that it turns out that hydrofluorocarbons are usually used in air conditioners and refrigerators. , sprays, foams and other refrigeration products. They were introduced as alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other substances harmful to the ozone layer.
However, people soon discovered that this savior of protecting the ozone layer would cause another problem. Hydrofluorocarbons are proven to be potent greenhouse gases with global warming potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. It has become the fastest growing greenhouse gas in the world, and its emissions are increasing at a rate of 10% per year.
In the polyurethane industry, foaming agent is a key raw material in the polyurethane industry. It is roughly estimated that the annual consumption of foaming agent is about 400,000 to 500,000 tons. At present, China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of polyurethane.
Regarding the question of how to implement the elimination task, experts told reporters that at present, the second-generation physical foaming agents widely used in the polyurethane industry belong to hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and the third-generation physical foaming agents are widely used in the polyurethane industry. Both agents are hydrofluorocarbons, which means both have clear phase-out schedules.
But the current situation is that companies are still using hydrochlorofluorocarbons in large quantities. Some companies need to use third-generation physical foaming agents due to export requirements. Bi Yusui, a professor at Shandong University of Technology, introduced that chlorofluorine-free polyurethane chemical foaming agents have begun to be used on the market. “This chlorofluorine-free polyurethane chemical foaming agent is currently the only type in the world that can react with isocyanate, except water. Organic compound of carbon dioxide gas.”
Guo Xiaolin, deputy director of the Third Project Division of the Foreign Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said that the technical requirements for the future are very clear, which is to adhere to the basic principle of “environmentally friendly”.
The “Recommended Catalog of Key Alternative Technologies for Hydrochlorofluorocarbons” issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection clearly states that on the basis of independent innovation, combined with the development trend of international alternatives, relevant It provides important guidance for the industry to realize “supply-side reform” and guides relevant manufacturing industries to achieve technological upgrading and product structure optimization from the supply side by vigorously promoting alternative technologies that are both ozone friendly and climate-friendly.
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