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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, Table 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.
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FIGURE 1: Reclaimed ODS and HFC refrigerants from 2000 to 2023. (Courtesy of EPA)
| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Refrigerant(s) | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs | lbs |
| HCFC-22 | 7,907,536 | 8,290,406 | 9,401,446 | 8,701,264 | 7,823,982 | 7,811,832 | 9,408,329 | 8,680,022 | 8,041,474 | 7,821,260 | 7,154,667 | 6,274,644 | 5,687,141 | 4,847,578 |
| HCFC-123 | 316,595 | 335,760 | 316,340 | 445,854 | 374,357 | 399,683 | 415,516 | 592,256 | 535,673 | 581,941 | 575,887 | 576,776 | 425,623 | 711,028 |
| Other HCFCs | 70,873 | 74 | 447 | 1,088 | 7,041 | 199 | 4,262 | 404 | 1,254 | 10,407 | 1,866 | 38 | 250 | 370 |
| CFCs | 1,311,448 | 1,490,405 | 1,459,015 | 1,560,452 | 1,260,385 | 1,252,359 | 943,077 | 1,267,120 | 787,299 | 708,029 | 591,216 | 513,560 | 397,741 | 377,567 |
| ODS Blends* | 187,974 | 133,803 | 230,792 | 160,639 | 149,012 | 105,177 | 98,503 | 116,366 | 142,441 | 163,040 | 100,422 | 118,428 | 43,169 | 39,123 |
| HFC-134a | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,858,132 | 1,910,240 | 2,399,952 | 1,956,644 | 1,844,793 | 2,313,639 | 2,505,902 |
| HFC-32 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 301 | 32 | 904 | 505 | 13,684 |
| R-404A | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 486,719 | 506,639 | 485,338 | 478,556 | 416,352 | 443,977 | 880,502 |
| R-407A | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 111,255 | 143,254 | 105,435 | 87,162 | 60,580 | 22,874 | 105,497 |
| R-410A | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2,103,404 | 2,043,667 | 2,596,861 | 2,347,000 | 2,550,164 | 3,569,249 | 4,625,948 |
| R-407C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 167,445 | 167,248 | 213,668 | 315,424 | 366,521 | 473,115 | 342,904 |
| Other HFCs** | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 363,310 | 479,261 | 258,185 | 205,997 | 172,118 | 757,313 | 597,927 |
TABLE 1: Quantity of reclaimed refrigerants in pounds from 2010 to 2023 (data on HFC reclamation was not required until 2017). (Courtesy of EPA)
*”ODS Blends” is an aggregation of chemical blends that contain a mixture of ODS refrigerants or blends that contain a mixture of ODS and one or more HFCs (e.g., R-401A).
**”Other HFCs” is an aggregation of HFC blends (e.g., R-448A) and neat HFCs (e.g., HFC-23).
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.
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