Washington Post: Chemicals That Eased One Woe Worsen Another (HFCs)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071901817.html

Chemicals That Eased One Woe Worsen Another

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 20, 2009

This is not the funny kind of irony: Scientists say the chemicals that helped solve the last global environmental crisis -- the hole in the ozone layer -- are making the current one worse.

The chemicals, called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), were introduced widely in the 1990s to replace ozone-depleting gases used in air conditioners, refrigerators and insulating foam.

They worked: The earth's protective shield seems to be recovering.

But researchers say what's good for ozone is bad for climate change. In the atmosphere, these replacement chemicals act like "super" greenhouse gases, with a heat-trapping power that can be 4,470 times that of carbon dioxide.

…

[timeforpeace]

1. Those scientists got us coming and going. "Back to the lab, boys!"

[AZCat]

2. I want to say one word to you - just one word.

Ammonia.

[NNadir]

3. That, I'm afraid would be a disaster of even worse proportions.

Here is why: Ammonia is corrosive and toxic.

When it leaks it can cause blindness and death. When diffuse, it causes waterway eutrophication and when it oxidizes, it accumulates (ultimately) N20, the third most important climate change gas in earth's atomsphere, after carbon dioxide and methane.

Better options include DME (atmospheric half-life less than 5 days) and, believe it or not carbon dioxide, generally non-toxic and while contained, sequestered.

There are however, several very good ways to make CFC/HFC sinks, but ignorance prevents their wide spread use.

[AZCat]

4. Risk, schmisk!

You and your sciency talk!

Actually, I didn't know about DME (I'll have to look it up), but I did know about carbon dioxide. I seem to remember its properties are pretty good, but it requires high pressures (need to check this also). As an interesting aside, some professor is trying to use water (now labelled R-718) as a refrigerant.





On Edit: stupid apostrophe.

[NNadir]

5. I've written at some length on DME at another website, although not focusing on it as a refrigerant.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/16/142039/10">DME: On the Renewable Sources of the Ultra Clean Diesel/LPG/Natural Gas Replacement Fuel.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/24/195214/27">Banning Oil: Dimethyl ether, Hydrogen, Nuclear Power and Motor Fuel for Cars and Trucks.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/2/21/94023/9685">Putting Dangerous Fossil Fuel Waste to Use.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/9/16564/7104">http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/9/16564/7104

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/29/14217/4355">A Car Love-in: Supercritical Biomass Gasification and DME Motor Fuels

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/29/71739/3312
">Chinese Evaluation of Choices in Coal Based Motor Fuels: DME vs. FT Diesel

[AZCat]

6. Thanks for the links.

I'll read them over the next couple of days.