A-Gas RemTec’s Total Solutions Program Provides Complete Cradle-to-Grave Refrigerant Management

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- 

Founded in 1986, as RemTec International, A-Gas RemTec, has provided products and services involved in managing Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and substances high in Global Warming Potential (GWP) on a worldwide basis. The Company’s patented and proprietary equipment is used to recover and reclaim Halons and their replacement agents used in the fire protection industry, and also CFCs, HCFCs, and HFCs used in refrigerant and HVAC applications.

A-Gas RemTec’s capabilities represent a complete cradle-to-grave refrigerant management program known as the Total Solutions™ Program. The Total Solutions™ Program provides the only complete cradle-to-grave refrigerant management service under one roof. The total integration of services from beginning to end provides many cost efficiencies that benefit customers.

The Total Solutions™ Program provides customers with access to a full product line of refrigerants, including supplies of R22 that can be provided throughout the transitional industry phase-out.. A-Gas, a market leader in the UK, Australia, South Africa, and now in the U.S., provides a full range of products at competitive prices. In association with their sister company, Coolgas, they have nationwide distribution capabilities for any refrigerants that may be needed.

A-Gas RemTec reclaims used refrigerants using full distillation processing to return mixed refrigerants to AHRI 700-12 standards. This provides greater cost efficiencies to customers by utilizing a higher degree of contaminated refrigerants causing fewer destruction costs and unusable refrigerants. Refrigerants considered un-reclaimable or unusable are accepted and destroyed at no cost. All unusable refrigerants are destroyed on-site at their Bowling Green, Ohio facility. A-Gas RemTec utilizes Plascon, which is plasma arc destruction technology. Competitive compensation is offered for refrigerants of value that meet purity criteria. A-Gas RemTec offers a fleet of cylinders and ISO Tanks that can be shipped to customers to aid in the recovery of refrigerants. Contrastingly, if a customer has a recovery tank that needs to be refurbished or recertified, A-Gas RemTec has a Department of Transportation Certified facility in Bowling Green, Ohio. As an added service, A-Gas RemTec maintains one of only three AHRI-certified laboratories in the U.S., providing one of the most accurate and integrated testing facilities for halocarbons. As an EPA Certified Reclamation Company, a complete disposition report on all materials processed is provided for customers to file with their EPA records.

Total Solutions™ Program offers a complete banking system to securely warehouse and manage the inventory of critical-use gases. A-Gas RemTec has built and managed strategic banking reserves for the U.S. Department of Defense and a major U.S. aircraft manufacturer. The Majority stockholder of A-Gas Group, Lloyds Development Capital (a division of Lloyds Banking Group, the largest financial institution in the UK), enables A-Gas RemTec the financial strength to meet any project requirements.

About A-Gas International
A-Gas is an international group of companies with headquarters in the United Kingdom. A-Gas is a market leader in the supply of refrigerants within its core territories in the U.K., South Africa, and Australia, and has state of the art storage, blending, packaging and reclamation facilities in Bristol, Cape Town, and Melbourne. The company is rapidly growing its market share in Asia and the Americas with sales offices in Singapore, Thailand, China and the USA. For more information, visitwww.agas.com.

About A-Gas RemTec
For more information, visit www.remtec.net.

New Compliance Association Unites California Offset Project Developers

Stemming from the Navigating the American Carbon World conference in 2012, the newly formed Compliance Offset Developers Association (CODA) seeks to unite project developers and to support an effective cap-and-trade program in California. CODA provides a platform for sharing technical knowledge and ideas as they pertain to the Air Resources Board.
1 July 2013 | The latest cap-and-trade development to come out of California is reflective of the Golden State’s reputation as the prevailing leader in domestic climate policy. The newly-minted Compliance Offset Developers Association (CODA) is an alliance of six project developers – A-GAS RemTec, Camco, Coolgas, Inc, Diversified Pure Chem, Environmental Credit Corp, and Terrapass – working together with regulators and other offset stakeholders to support an effective statewide offset market. 

At the 10^th anniversary of the Navigating the American Carbon World conference, North America’s largest carbon event, a number of players in California’s offset market recognized the benefits of exchanging ideas and technical know-how related to the Air Resources Board (ARB). Acknowledging ARB’s impact, their own strength in numbers, and a growing need to respond to future technical processes on a collaborative basis, project developers set out to create a forum for technical discussion and knowledge-sharing regarding ARB protocols and the generation of compliance offsets. 

As reported by CODA, policies regulating offsets, transparency, and the timely review of project documents are critical aspects for project developers in generating and issuing offsets. An anticipated 200 million offsets will be required by California’s cap-and-trade program by 2020, further highlighting the need for increased capacity through collective efforts such as CODA, according to the group’s members. 

Intended to function from a procedural and technical perspective rather than from a political stance, CODA aims to connect project developers to better understand the rules and regulations of the offset market. According to Derek Six, CEO of Environmental Credit Corp, “the project developers involved in CODA face a wide variety of common issues.” The association was formed out of a “desire to see a marketplace that is effective, practical, and efficient,” adds Six. 

While CODA is currently only open to project developers that have at least three registered projects under ozone-depleting substances, forestry, or livestock protocols, there may be potential for including project developers involved in other project types in the future. 

In reference to prospective protocols such as rice cultivation, coal mine methane, and REDD+, Charles Purshouse, CODA’s elected chairperson, stated, “If approved, we would welcome members developing those projects.” However, for the time being, the “focus is on the drawing board,” as lobbying for REDD+ and other potential protocols “doesn’t fall under the group’s remit,” adds Purshouse. 

CODA holds bi-weekly meetings and discussions to formulate strategy. Companies interested in joining CODA can email nick@terrapass.com. 

EPA Warns Against Use of Refrigerant Substitutes That Pose Fire and Explosion Risk

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2013

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning homeowners, propane manufacturers and sellers, home improvement contractors and air conditioning technicians of potential safety hazards related to the use of propane or other unapproved refrigerants in home air conditioning systems.

EPA is currently investigating instances where propane has been marketed and used as a substitute for HCFC-22 (R-22), a refrigerant that is widely used in home air conditioning systems.

Home air conditioning systems are not designed to handle propane or other similar flammable refrigerants. The use of these substances poses a potential fire or explosion hazard for homeowners and service technicians. 

EPA is aware of incidents that have occurred both overseas and in the U.S. where individuals have been injured as a result of the use of propane and other unapproved refrigerants in air conditioning systems. We are investigating and will take enforcement actions where appropriate. Other names for these unapproved refrigerants include R-290, 22a, 22-A, R-22a, HC-22a, and CARE 40.

At this time, EPA has not approved the use of propane refrigerant or other hydrocarbon refrigerants in any type of air conditioner. Homeowners and technicians are strongly recommended to limit use of propane or other hydrocarbons to only those appliances specifically designed for these substances and that are properly marked to alert technicians that the equipment contains a flammable substance. EPA has approved the use of propane as a substitute refrigerant for R-22 in industrial process refrigeration systems and in new, stand-alone retail food refrigerators and freezers that are specifically designed to use flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants.

R-22 is being phased out of production and importation under the Montreal Protocol, an environmental treaty ratified by every country in the world designed to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of ozone depleting substances. EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program has already listed numerous refrigerants with improved environmental, health and safety profiles and continues to evaluate other refrigerants that can be used to replace R-22 and other ozone-depleting substances.

More information about the EPA’s SNAP program: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/
More information about R-22a and alternatives for air conditioning: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/r22a.html

Thank you for giving your life to protect others

Our thoughts and prayers are with the fire fighters of Arizona and their families.