What is F-Gas?

F-Gas plays a huge part in refrigerant innovation as the industry looks to reduce its impact on the environment. We take a look at what it is, and why it’s important.

What is F-Gas? 

Fluorinated gases, or F-Gas, is a man made product. It is specifically designed through mining natural gases and combining them for pharmaceuticals, heating, cooling and refrigeration. 

It is manufactured to be safe for use in products used by the general public, and is energy efficient to ensure long term usage in everyday items such as household refrigerators and car air conditioning units. 

How do Koura use them in Klea® products? 

We use it for a number of applications, including refrigeration, air conditioning and automotive. Refrigerants are essential for keeping vital food and medicine at optimal temperature to reduce spoilage and for air movement in buildings and cars. 

Are they environmentally friendly? 

Like plastic and rubber, F-Gas is created through manufacturing, meaning that it takes a long time to decay as the planet is not equipped to naturally break them down. 

For this reason, F-Gas products, such as refrigerants, are allocated a ‘global warming potential’, or GWP. GWP compares the environmental impact of each F-Gas to the heat that would be absorbed by the mass of carbon dioxide. 

Read more: Which refrigerant has the lowest GWP? 

What is being done about F-Gas? 

At the moment, the amount of F-Gas each supplier and manufacturer uses is capped. To protect the environment, only a certain amount of F-Gas is allowed to be used, which is based on the individual GWP of different products. The industry adheres to this under EU legislation. 

The European Commission introduced stricter regulations in 2015 to ensure all refrigerant canisters are recyclable. All professionals that use F-Gas must also be certified to ensure proper maintenance, checks and recovery of end of life products to prevent and reduce the risk of any emissions. 

Koura has constantly worked to innovate our Klea® products to cut the GWP of our products. This has allowed us to have a minimal impact on the environment while delivering an essential product to our customers. 

What happens if the cap is surpassed? 

At the moment, the industry is able to supply the world with what it needs to keep running. However, with growing populations and higher demand, the current F-Gas available isn’t sustainable. That is why the industry is constantly working together to innovate with future-proof products and meet the demand while staying well within the F-Gas cap. 

What’s the alternative to current F-Gas products?

Koura is currently producing a number of low GWP Klea® refrigerants for various applications:

Refrigeration

To suit commercial and residential refrigeration needs, Koura has developed Klea® refrigerant LFR3.

LFR3, which has a low GWP of 140, can be used in commercial and transport refrigeration. The energy efficiency of up to 20 percent higher than the current product of choice, CO2, and has been designed to ensure that manufacturers will be able to create longer lasting products that are much safer for the environment. 

Automotive

LFR3 was also developed for hybrid and electric vehicles, meaning that it consumes much less of the battery in use, making for longer car journeys in a temperature controlled environment. 

Learn more about the full range of low GWP Klea® refrigerants developed by Koura, visit our Next-Gen refrigerants page.