MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Honeywell announced that its new low-global-warming-potential (LGWP) blowing agent for foam insulation has received final approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The approval allows the company’s new Solstice™ Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) to be used in foam insulation in refrigerators, spray foam insulation for residential and commercial buildings, insulated metal panels, and other applications in the United States. The EPA granted the approval under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.

“No other material identified or discovered to date offers the comprehensive range of advantages — from energy efficient performance and ultra low-global-warming-potential to cost-effectiveness and safety — than this new product offering does,” said Sanjeev Rastogi, business director, structural enclosures for Honeywell Fluorine Products. “We are looking forward to working with appliance manufacturers and builders who are seeking to improve their energy efficiency and environmental performance through the use of this new chemistry.”

Solstice LBA has a global-warming-potential (GWP) of less than five, significantly lower than hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents, said the company. Blowing agents allow closed-cell foam insulation to expand, and provides the majority of the foam’s excellent insulating properties.

Solstice LBA provides a pathway for industries to become more sustainable, but also remain energy efficient and cost-effective, said Honeywell. The company noted that the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) released the first voluntary sustainability standard for home appliances. In the United Kingdom, Japan, and other countries, regulations are already in place encouraging the use of LGWP, energy efficient blowing agents in spray foam and construction.

In addition to Solstice LBA, Honeywell's family of Solstice-branded products includes stationary and mobile refrigerants, gaseous blowing agents, propellants and solvents based on Honeywell’s new hydrofluoro-olefin technology that helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance, said the company.

For more information, visit www.honeywell.com.

Publication date: 9/3/2012