EPA Sees Uptick in HFC Reclamation

R-134a and R-410A lead the charge in significant year-over-year gains

Cylinders of Refrigerants — **MORE RECOVERY:** EPA is counting on increased recovery and reclamation in order to maintain existing equipment. (Staff photo)

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.

Reclaimed ODS and HFC refrigerants from 2000 to 2023 graph.

Click graph to enlarge

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.

Find an EPA-certified reclaimer here.

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Joanna Turpin is a Senior Editor at The ACHR NEWS. She can be contacted at 248-786-1707 or joannaturpin@achrnews.com. Joanna has been with BNP Media since 1991, first heading up the company’s technical book division before moving over to The ACHR NEWS, where she frequently writes about refrigerants and commercial refrigeration. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington and worked on her master’s degree in technical communication at Eastern Michigan University.