BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The refrigerant company A-Gas has added a new separation tower at its facility here, strengthening its commitment to a circular economy for refrigerants.
The new tower will increase the company’s gas-processing capabilities by 15% in the U.S. This will allow A-Gas to provide more high-quality reclaimed refrigerant gases, substantially increasing the amount of such gases in the market, the company said in a press release.
With the new separation tower, A-Gas increases its separation capacity, addressing a critical need highlighted in a recent report by several non-governmental organizations, “The 90 Billion Ton Opportunity: Lifecycle Refrigerant Management.”
A-Gas’ newest separation tower was opened with a celebration at the facility on August 9. Speaking at the event in support of A-Gas’ reclamation efforts and contributions to the circular economy were U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, Ohio Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, and Bowling Green Mayor Mike Aspacher. Other attendees included Ohio Environmental Protection Agency representatives Archie Lunsey and Gary Deutschman as well as Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter, Ben Otley from the Bowling Green Economic Development Council, and Mary Hinkleman from the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce.
Year-over-year, A-Gas has nearly doubled its reclaimed refrigerant output. Expanding the recovery and reclaim of refrigerant gases is essential for implementing the production and importation phase-down of HFC refrigerants under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, which ensures U.S. compliance with the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The Kigali Amendment is an international agreement to cut the production of refrigerants that are a major contributor to global warming when they escape into the atmosphere.
“At the end of the day, every pound of refrigerant that is reclaimed is a pound of refrigerant that was recovered instead of harming the environment with illegal venting or equipment failure,” Taylor Ferranti, commercial vice president of refrigerant management at A-Gas. “Safe gas recovery through on-site recovery services like A-Gas Rapid Recovery and cylinder exchange programs like Rapid Exchange and Refri-Claim make reclaiming refrigerant possible, and we are excited that this new tower can increase this rate of reclamation. We look forward to giving more people and organizations the opportunity to participate in the circular economy.”
