Perfluorocarbon (commonly known as Freon) is a kind of chemical reagent. It is mainly used in the refrigerant of compressor, refrigerator and blowing agent to isolate foam. In the late 1970s, people suspected that they would be harmful to the ozone layer, so people continued to explore to find a formula that could eliminate and replace this substance. There are three main substitutes available: ① partially chlorinated chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs); ② Fluoroalkanes (HFCS), HFCS l34a as its main component; ③ Natural gas, such as butane and propane (hydrocarbon HCS).
The first chemical substitute, partially chlorinated chlorofluorocarbons, still has some ability to erode the ozone layer, so it is considered to be a temporary substitute that can only be used in the transition stage. In the long run, these harmful chemicals should not be used to improve the situation of the disappearance of the ozone layer. The second option, hydrofluorocarbons, was first popular in Europe and is now favored by the U.S. chemical industry. This chemical has been known since the 1950s. People have made great efforts to carry out a lot of research on it and made progress in production technology. This is mainly due to various mandatory measures and the fear of expensive medical expenses for the treatment of skin cancer, especially in Americans. DuPont, an American enterprise, has become a leader in this industry. The motivation for studying alternatives to freon lies in the commitment made by the organization earlier. They said that if Freon is determined to have a damaging effect on the ozone layer, production will be stopped immediately. The company's research on alternatives is reflected in the growth of R & D expenditure in this field and the company has a large number of patents for related technologies. In 1977, this measure provided full impetus for the application of alternatives in other aspects.
Based on the prospect of finding scientific and economic alternatives to freon, the negotiation of the global treaty was accelerated, which was signed in Montreal in 1986. DuPont has supported the global treaty since 1986, but at that time, European producers such as Hoechst opposed it because they were still far behind the United States in the development of alternatives. However, since the mid-1980s, the European position has gradually changed. As a result, the global production of Freon has also declined steadily.
The United States tends to use the second alternative, fluoroalkanes, while in the UK, the third alternative, hydrocarbons, is more popular. Although fluoroalkanes do not destroy the ozone layer, they have a considerable impact on global warming, which has been criticized by environmentalists. In the 1990s, Germany, with the concept of Greenpeace, began to develop refrigerators using hydrocarbons as refrigerants and melting agents. Major refrigerator manufacturers began to oppose this measure because of the risk of flammability of this alternative. However, since some small manufacturers cooperated with university research institutions to produce a model that meets the safety standards, and received the support of Greenpeace, the major manufacturers in Germany also began to adopt this new technology. German manufacturers have also applied this technology to their foreign manufacturing plants, such as Bosch Siemens, which now uses hydrocarbon replacement technology for production. Electrolux has also turned to hydrocarbon technology in the European market. At the same time, this technology has also been adopted by some low-cost manufacturers, such as candy of Italy, who began to use this technology in 1999. Manufacturers in other countries (such as Sweden, Denmark, France, Japan, Turkey, India, China and Cuba) have also switched to hydrocarbon technology.
Today, three alternatives to refrigerator refrigerants are on the market: Freon is still used in developing countries such as China and India; Fluoroalkanes occupy a large market share in North America, Japan and southern Europe; Hydrocarbons are widely used in compressors and refrigerators in northern Europe. It is reported that the market share of hydrocarbon technology in Germany has reached 100%. In Japan, fluoroalkanes are the main refrigerant substitutes for compressors and refrigerators, but hydrocarbon technology is also applied. In 2000, about 40% of the compressors in Japan's refrigerator production used fluoroalkanes and 60% used hydrocarbons. It is still uncertain which of these two will dominate the world, but hydrocarbons have great potential to become an international choice.