The ATMOsphere Podcast Network

A new technical note by North American scientists reported using advanced detection technology to find trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a byproduct of common f-gases and other substances, in 24 beverage samples from Toronto, Ontario, including juices and wine, at microgram-per-liter levels similar to those of previous studies done in Europe. The study also found other ultrashort- and short-chain PFAS (...

As part of its low-carbon energy network , Solihull, a town of 126,000 in the West Midlands, U.K., has installed six Refra hydrocarbon heat pumps to provide 1.6MW (455TR) of district heating and hot water to local government owned buildings, community centers and educational institutions. The project, backed by a £9.6 million ($12.9 million/€11.1 million) loan from the U.K. government’s National W...

Saputo, an international producer of dairy products, is replacing the fossil fuel boilers in its British Columbia, Canada, facility with a plug-and-play 1.5MW (426.5TR) water-to-water Vilter VQ95 ammonia (R717) heat pump , according to Jake Krause, Global Product Manager at Vilter by Copeland . With the installation, the company expects to save $120,000 (€102,700) annually compared to the boilers...

In its Essex factory, English jam producer Wilkin & Sons has replaced four HFC-based low-temperature (LT) 30kW (8.5TR) screw packs with two 60kW (17.1TR) CO2 booster packs produced by Italian manufacturer SCM Frigo . The company, best known for its Tiptree range of fruit preserves, has produced jam and marmalades since 1885. SCM Frigo is part of the Beijer Ref group. FridgeHUB, operated by Bei...

Consumption of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoroolefins (HCFOs) in the U.S. is projected to more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 106,000 metric tons – up from around 40,000 metric tons in 2021 – according to a new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). The report – “ Persistent Problems ” – raises concerns about the environmental and health impacts of t...

NaturalRefrigerants.com, the world’s top source for news and insights on natural refrigerant-based heating and cooling technologies, now offers audio articles on Apple Podcasts and YouTube . In addition to Apple and YouTube, audio articles can now be found on the following podcast platforms: Deezer , iHeart , PlayerFM Podcast Addict , Podcast Index and Podchaser . The articles are read by an AI-ge...

Weska Kälteanlagen, a German industrial refrigeration and heat pump manufacturer, is constructing an 8MW (2,275TR) ammonia (R717) geothermal heat pump to supply district heating to more than 6,000 households in the Wilhelmsburg district of Hamburg.  Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com  

As part of its HCFC Phase-out Management Program (HPMP), Brazil has opened what the government is calling its first natural refrigerant training laboratory, with a simulated mini-supermarket CO2 (R744)/propane (R290) cascade system installed at the FARPO-ETP technical school in Curitiba, Paraná. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Italy-based Epta has announced its acquisition of Hauser, an Austrian manufacturer of self-contained and remote refrigeration cabinets and industrial refrigeration systems. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Italy-based Epta has announced its acquisition of Hauser, an Austrian manufacturer of self-contained and remote refrigeration cabinets and industrial refrigeration systems. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Germany-based Teko has highlighted the efficiency measures of its recently installed 1.5MW CO2 (R744) refrigeration system in a new Dachser logistics center. Read the full story at NaturalRefrigerants.com.

China will ban the use of refrigerants in new cars with a GWP of greater than 150 beginning July 1, 2029, and will “encourage research and application of natural refrigerant alternatives in electric vehicle thermal systems,” according to a government document. Read the full article at NaturalRefrigerants.com.

A multifamily apartment complex in the Bronx, New York, has upgraded its domestic hot water system by replacing its gas boiler with a high-efficiency 95kW (27TR)-capacity CO2 (R744) heat pump. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Global cold storage logistics provider Americold sees packaged low-charge ammonia (R717) and transcritical CO2 (R744) refrigeration systems as blueprints for new cold storage construction and retrofits of legacy systems, according to Nicholas Fletcher, Senior Manager of Design Engineering. Read the full story at NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Multinational pharmaceutical company Takeda has installed a 1.2MW (341TR)-capacity high-temperature heat pump using butane (R600) and water (R178) at its manufacturing facility in Vienna. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Italian manufacturer SCM Frigo has strengthened its presence in the industrial refrigeration sector with the deployment of a 1.5MW (426.5TR) transcritical CO2 (R744) rack system at a cosmetics and pharmaceutical processing facility in France. Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Italy-based HVAC&R manufacturer Enex Technologies has introduced a configurable propane (R290) chiller/heat pump system with up to 1MW (284.3TR) of cooling capacity for food storage and processing applications, with the four-pipe option delivering free hot water at up to 77°C (170.6°F). Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

European food retailers are making uneven progress in phasing out HFC-based cooling systems, with some leading the way in transitioning to natural refrigerants, according to a new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Read the full story at NaturalRefrigerants.com.

In 2023, Keelings Flowers, a division of the Keelings Group, opened a state-of-the-art €20 million ($22.7 million) 8,500m² (91,500ft²) flower processing facility in St. Margaret’s, Dublin. Designed with sustainability and growth in mind, the facility supports the Keelings Flowers’ goal of doubling operations by 2030. Central to this effort is a refrigeration system featuring a propane (R290)-based...

Delegates from the EU and Norway encouraged the application of the “precautionary principle” in regard to regulating HFOs and their atmospheric degradation product, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), in a discussion on day two of the 47th Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG47) of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, being held July 7–11 in Bangkok. Read the story at NaturalRefrigerants.com.

The European Union said it would like to discuss PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and natural refrigerants in a contact group during the opening session of the 47th Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) of the Parties in Bangkok. Check out the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Germany-based hydrocarbon chiller and heat pump manufacturer Skadec has built and tested two 1.5MW (426.5TR) air-cooled propane (R290) chillers designed for large-scale HVAC or industrial processing applications. You can read the full story at NaturalRefrigerants.com.

ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, has released its second report on the rising threat posed by commonly used HFOs, particularly HFO-1234yf, and their atmospheric byproduct, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), to human health and the environment. Read the full article on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Johnson Controls has recently expanded its lineup of high-temperature heat pumps (HTHP) in Australia and is seeking pilot projects for a water (R718)-based steam heat pump, according to Terry Presley, Technical Sales Leader for Industrial and Refrigeration at the company. Read more on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

American industrial chiller manufacturer PRO Refrigeration has announced the release of the PROGreen50, a new CO2 (R744) chiller designed for dairies, food producers and craft beverage companies, to the North American market. Read more on NaturalRefrigerants.com.