Salierno G. On the Chemical Pathways Influencing the Effective Global Warming Potential of Commercial Hydrofluoroolefin Gases.
CHEMSUSCHEM 2024:e202400280. [PMID:
38576083 DOI:
10.1002/cssc.202400280]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The enforcement of a global hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant phase down led to the introduction of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) as a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) substitute, given their low atmospheric lifetime. However, to this date it is not fully clear the long-term atmospheric fate of HFOs primary degradation products: trifluoro acetaldehyde (TFE), trifluoro acetyl fluoride (TFF), and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). It particularly concerns the possibility of forming HFC-23, a potent global warming agent. Although the atmospheric reaction networks of TFE, TFF, and TFA have a fair level of complexity, the relevant atmospheric chemical pathways are well characterized in the literature, enabling a comprehensive hazard assessment of HFC-23 formation as a secondary HFO breakdown product in diverse scenarios. A lower bound of the HFOs effective GWP in a baseline scenario is found above regulatory thresholds. While further research is crucial to refine climate risk assessments, the existing evidence suggests a non-negligible climate hazard associated with HFOs.
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