Honeywell has started operations at its hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) manufacturing plant in Geismar, Louisiana, on Tuesday.
The company invested $300 million in the project, which it says is now the largest global site for HFO-1234yf production. Honeywell told CW that the plant’s capacity will not be disclosed for “confidential and proprietary reasons.”
HFO-1234yf, a hydroflurocarbon refrigerant for automobiles, is a “more environmentally preferable technolog[y] without sacrificing performance,” says Ken Gayer, vice president and general manager of Honeywel’s fluorine products business. Honeywell initially announced the investment toward building a HFO-1234yf plant in December 2013.
Ray Will, an analyst at IHS Chemical, told CW that there is “very strong double digit ramp in consumption” for HFO-1234yf as environmental impact becomes a growing global concern. Honeywell says that its HFO-1234yf refrigerant is currently adopted in 20 million vehicles and expected to reach 40 million vehicles by year’s-end.
By Jing Chen
Source: Chemical Week
France has launched an offshore green hydrogen production platform at the country’s Port of Saint-Nazaire this week, along with its first offshore wind farm. The hydrogen plant, which its operators say is the world’s first facility of its type, coincides with the launch of another “first of its kind” facility in Sweden dedicated to storing hydrogen in an underground lined rock cavern (LRC).
The project sets up the Hydrogen Valley in Rome, the first industrial-scale technological hub for the development of the national supply chain for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen for the decarbonization of industrial processes and for sustainable mobility.
At first glance, hydrogen seems to be the perfect solution to our energy needs. It doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide when used. It can store energy for long periods of time. It doesn’t leave behind hazardous waste materials, like nuclear does. And it doesn’t require large swathes of land to be flooded, like hydroelectricity. Seems too good to be true. So…what’s the catch?
