A-Gas is to invest more than £1m on a new refrigerant separator at its Portbury plant near Bristol.

This represents a significant investment by the company which predicts that refrigerant reclamation will grow as the F-Gas Regulations further restrict the supply of high GWP refrigerants on the market.

The new separator will be in operation in the second half of 2017 and will more than double the company’s reclamation capacity at Portbury.

Managing director John Ormerod (pictured) said: “The investment is in response to the F-Gas Regulations. Supplies of reclaimed refrigerant are crucial to ensure that there is enough gas on the market to meet demand. We are already seeing changes in market patterns and as a major supplier of refrigerants we have to respond to this.”

He continued: “The new separator is a key investment by A-Gas, will operate in tandem with the existing separator on our Portbury site and will more than double our reclamation capacity here. This investment also highlights our commitment to providing the industry with the necessary capacity and infrastructure to support the F-Gas phasedown.”

The new equipment will enable reclamation of mixed refrigerants received from customers across Europe. John Ormerod added: “This type of waste has changed over the years as refrigerant mixtures get more complicated and we start to see much higher quantities of mixed gases. Several different refrigerants combined together in one mix sets us new challenges and without separation technology it is almost impossible to return the gas to the same kind of quality as virgin material.”

A-Gas reclaims thousands of tonnes of refrigerant a year across the world. Following its acquisition of Rapid Recovery in the USA, it is now one of the world’s leading reclaimers of refrigerants.