Chemours Expands Refrigerant Capacity
Chemours is expanding capacity for its Opteon YF refrigerants to meet customer demand. The Delaware-headquartered US group described the $80 million project at Corpus Christi, Texas, as a “critical growth investment.”
Along with other ongoing debottleneckings, the project will further increase the site’s capacity by roughly 40%. The company did not say when the extra output would be online.
“Opteon YF is a game-changing refrigerant solution accelerating global sustainability initiatives. As demand increases, we are proud to make the investment that will help our customers navigate the complex regulatory landscape while supporting their bottom line with a high-performing, readily available product,” commented Alisha Bellezza, president of thermal & specialized solutions.
Chemours said its Opteon YF and YF blends have zero ozone depletion potential and global warming potential (GWP) that is significantly lower than legacy refrigerants. It estimates that there are at least 80 million vehicles on US roads that use Opteon YF – or hydrofluoro olefin (HFO)-1234yf – in their air conditioning units. By 2025, Chemours estimates that its low-GWP product line will eliminate an estimated 325 million t of CO2 equivalent globally.
The company opened its Corpus Christi plant in February 2019. The facility, which Chemours said is the world’s largest for HFO-1234yf, tripled capacity for the refrigerant at the time.
Last November, Chemours announced a new production line in El Dorado, Arkansas for Opteon 1150, a non-ozone depleting low-GWP HFO platform. The line opened before the Jan. 1, 2022 deadline for an initial 10% phasedown in hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) production and consumption as mandated by the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. This act dating from Dec. 27, 2020 reduces the production and consumption of listed HFCs by 85% below baseline levels in a phased manner by 2036.
Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist
