Saudi Arabia-based appliance manufacturer to use Honeywell’s ultra-low-global warming potential blowing agent

Honeywell Solstice LBA will help Al-Essa Industrial Company phase out higher-global warming potential (GWP) solutions that contribute to climate change, in line with Saudi Arabia’s climate objectives, while also ensuring it maintains compliance with regulations in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has a target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, and under the Saudi Green Initiative it intends to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 278 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030.

Honeywell Solstice LBA supports these objectives as an ultra-low-GWP alternative to traditional hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) such as HCFC-141b, which is banned in Saudi Arabia, said the statement.

HCFCs are sometimes used in foam, refrigeration and air conditioning applications, but deplete the protective ozone layer and contribute to climate change. Alternative hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) solutions are also potent greenhouse gases and do not meet energy regulations.

With a GWP of 1, 99.9% lower than HFC blowing agents, Solstice LBA will enable Al-Essa Industrial Company to meet energy standard requirements in Saudi Arabia and other countries for exports.

“Honeywell’s ready-now Solstice LBA plays a critical role for the manufacturing industry as we see the continued phaseout of high-GWP materials and increasing regulations on reducing emissions globally,” said George Bou Mitri, vice president and general manager of Performance Materials and Technologies for the Middle East and North Africa at Honeywell.

Honeywell has invested more than one billion dollars in research, development and new capacity for its Solstice technology, having anticipated the need for lower-GWP solutions to combat climate change more than a decade ago.

The product line, which helps customers lower their greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency without sacrificing end-product performance, includes refrigerants for vehicle, commercial and residential air conditioning applications, heat pumps; blowing agents for insulation; aerosol propellants; solvents for cleaning solutions; and are being evaluated for use in metered-dose inhalers.

The use of Honeywell Solstice technology has helped avoid the potential release of the equivalent of more than 326 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equal to the carbon emissions from nearly 70 million gasoline-powered passenger vehicles per year, the company said.