The F-Gas Regulation mandates specific prohibitions of use, as outlined in Annex III of the legislation. As of 01 January 2020, there will be a prohibition of the use of stationary refrigeration equipment that contains, or whose functioning relies upon, HFCs with GWP of 2,500 or more (except equipment intended for applications designed to cool products to temperatures below -50 degrees Celsius).

In addition, the regulation reduces the amount of HFCs placed on the market over a 15-year period with the next quota phase-down taking effect as of 01 January 2021. This can be achieved by transitioning away from high-GWP refrigerants such as R404A and R507A to lower-GWP refrigerants such as those in the Opteon portfolio.

Chemours offers several options including Opteon XP40 (R449A), a solution for the retrofit of existing equipment, and Opteon XL40 (R454A) and XL20 (R454C), long-term sustainable solutions designed for new equipment, for a smooth and effective transition.

Opteon XP40 (R449A), an A1 class refrigerant with a GWP of 1397 by AR4 measurement, is currently the refrigerant of choice among leading supermarkets, retailers, contractors, distributors and end-users in the EU for retrofit. It delivers improved performance and energy efficiency with a more sustainable environmental footprint and offering over 65 percent reduction in GWP compared to R404A.

Opteon XL40 (R454A) is a low GWP, A2L class, hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-based refrigerant with the optimal balance of properties to replace R404A in positive displacement, direct expansion for low and medium temperature commercial and industrial applications.

Opteon XL20 (R454C) with a GWP of 148, is a non-ozone depleting, A2L HFO-based refrigerant offering similar performance to R404A, while enabling end-users to achieve <150 GWP and allowing higher charge sizes than other Class three highly flammable alternatives.

Opteon low GWP HFO refrigerants are a portfolio of sustainable and versatile refrigerants that meet the long-term needs of the refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump, and chiller markets. They have been developed to help meet increasingly stringent global regulations while maintaining or improving performance compared to the products they replace, as well as encouraging more sustainable refrigerant choices and equipment designs to reduce the carbon footprint of the HVACR industry.