WASHINGTON (CN) - The likely replacement for hydrofluorocarbon-134a as the refrigerant to be used in automotive air conditioners, hydrofluoroolefin-1234yf has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for such use.
The approval trails the European Union's announcement last year that it would not allow carbon dioxide to be used as the replacement refrigerant for the current hydrofluorocarbon which has a Global Warming Potential rating of 1,340. Carbon dioxide has a GPW of 1 while the hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-1234yf has a rating of 4.
The phase out of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-134a in the EU was mandated by the European Parliament in 2006. The U.S. has not formally banned HFC-134a and it was approved for use after Freon-12 was banned by the Montreal Protocol.
In a related action, the EPA granted a petition from the National Resources Defense Council to reconsider its approval of HFC-134a in automotive air conditioners. According to Honeywell, a manufacturer of HFO-1234yf, the refrigerant is already approved for use in Japan, Korea and China.
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