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WHITEPAPER

PFAS in refrigerants: What now?

The urgent need for sustainable cleanroom solutions

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Introduction

In recent years, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have come under increased scrutiny due to their harmful effects on both the environment and human health. Initially lauded for their water- and grease-repellent properties, these chemicals—numbering over 4,700—found widespread use in products ranging from coatings and packaging materials to refrigerants.

However, their persistence in the environment, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” has led to global contamination of water, soil, and even food. PFAS in refrigerants raise particular concerns in industries like cleanroom technology, which demands environmentally friendly solutions.
With their harmful characteristics and the difficulty in removing them from the environment, regulations surrounding PFAS have tightened, amplifying the need for PFAS-free alternatives like R32, CO₂, propane, and ammonia (NH₃).

1. Global Warming Potential (GWP) and HFO Refrigerants

Global Warming Potential (GWP) is a key metric for measuring the impact of substances on climate change, comparing their effect to that of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over 100 years. In recent years, Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) have emerged as alternative refrigerants due to their low GWP, often significantly lower than traditional Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). This makes HFOs attractive for reducing the climate impact of refrigerants.

Despite their advantages in terms of GWP, HFOs have a significant drawback: many contain PFAS or break down into PFAS over time. PFAS are extremely persistent, bioaccumulative, and difficult to degrade, making them harmful to both the environment and public health. This places HFOs in a complex scientific and environmental dilemma. While they help reduce global warming, they contribute to long-lasting chemical pollution.

This complexity raises a fundamental question: Do the climate benefits of HFOs outweigh the long-term risks of PFAS pollution? Innovations in natural refrigerants like CO₂, propane, and ammonia—refrigerants with low GWP and no PFAS-related issues—are increasingly seen as the sustainable path forward, particularly for cleanroom applications where cooling demands are high.

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1. Off-site production, on-site assembling

Legolisation means standardisation. Standardisation causes a shift in production. Work is carried out in conditioned spaces such as factory halls. our cleanrooms are manufactured partly or entirely off-site, which means huge savings on transport costs and reduction of inconvenience on-site