MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Honeywell announced that it will invest $33 million in its Baton Rouge, La., manufacturing facility - one of the leading suppliers of refrigerants in the United States - to produce a low-global-warming-potential (low-GWP) material used in insulation and aerosols. The material is also being considered as a replacement for HFC-134a refrigerant.

This investment will provide the Baton Rouge facility with the ability to produce Honeywell’s new low-GWP material, HFO-1234ze, on a commercial scale. Production of HFO-1234ze at the facility is scheduled to begin in late 2013.

“Honeywell’s Baton Rouge plant has a long history of manufacturing materials that meet consumer needs for comfort and energy efficiency,” said Andreas Kramvis, president and CEO of Honeywell Specialty Materials. “We are pleased that this investment will enable Baton Rouge to become the premier source of a next-generation technology that enables low-global-warming aerosol propellants, foam blowing agents, and refrigerants.”

“Customers are looking for solutions from Honeywell that are energy efficient, safe, economical, and better for the environment than existing materials. The investment we are making in Baton Rouge will allow us to meet the significant global customer demand for HFO-1234ze, which has all of these attributes,” said Terrence Hahn, vice president and general manger of Honeywell Fluorine Products. “This marks an important milestone for our entire portfolio of low-global-warming-potential products, which help safely and cost-effectively improve the energy efficiency of everyday products while meeting environmental regulations.”

Honeywell said HFO-1234ze has been accepted for use and sale in foam and aerosols by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is also currently used in Europe and Japan, with the majority of demand coming from Europe.

According to the company, HFO-1234ze is non-flammable, non-ozone depleting and has a global warming potential (GWP) of 6. It can be used in a variety of applications and can replace HFC-134a (which has a GWP of 1,430) and HFC-152a (which has a GWP of 124) in aerosol applications and thermal insulating foams, including extruded polystyrene board. It is also being considered to replace HFC-134a for large stationary refrigeration applications.

Another product in Honeywell’s hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) portfolio, HFO-1234yf, is being adopted globally by automobile manufacturers as a replacement for the current hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant used in automobile air conditioning, HFC-134a.

For more information about Honeywell’s low-GWP products, visit www.abettercool.com.

Publication date: 07/18/2011