JUN 25

We're used to thinking of CO2 as the problem. And that, largely is absolutely true. But the good news behind the truth of CO2's overabundance in our atmosphere, is that any industrial use for the gas is carbon-neutral, since it's being pulled out CO2 positive industries, like oil refineries and power plants.

So the CO2 in your soda is, in fact, stored industrial carbon. So when we hear about refrigerators and air conditioners becoming far more efficient by using CO2 as a coolant, we don't have to worry about the CO2. All we have to worry about is how to get this new refrigerant adopted as quickly as possible.

CO2 is, first, a better refrigerant. It cools more efficiently, and thus saves huge amounts of money. Which is why Coca Cola, which owns more refrigerators than any other company (usually called vending machines,) has recently stopped creating vending machines that use any other refrigerant.

Other good news has followed. Coca Cola's CEO put forth a call to switch globally from dangerous, polluting HFCs. CO2 is already taking over in the developing world, where efficiency is extremely important, and it;s easier to come by than HFCs. And Greenpeace has recently asked the EPA and the automotive industry to take notice of the high global warming potential and low efficiency of current refrigerants and make the switch.

It's nice to see this much-derided little molecule finally getting some good press. And it's even nicer to see this new technology, using a common, relatively benign refrigerant to make cooling more efficient and safer for the world.

Comments (11)

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Fight CO2 surfing the internet?
written by SamHamm, June 25, 2008

Yes, its possible to fight CO2 when you surf the internet! The website treehoo.com plants trees for most of its ad-based profit. The site offers Google search and more and is perfect for everyone to have as homepage. Ad revenues on the net sum to 6 billion dollars each year! Imagine that kind of money invested in our nature!!!

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written by doug, June 25, 2008

If CO2 is so efficient and so readily available, why hasn't it been used all along. Why even bother with HFCs?

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written by Andrew Leinonen, June 25, 2008

I'm curious, too, I must say. Maybe the technology required to take advantage of CO2 refrigerants is more complicated.

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written by Mr Dupont, June 26, 2008

I think that the problem with CO2 is that no one can get a patent on it. There is no money to be made from it. PERIOD

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@doug
written by Gorok, June 26, 2008

Most domestic refrigerators no longer use HFCs - this article is not factual.
They use a butane/propane mixh which is a much better refrigerant than HFC. You can retrofit BBQ gas into auto air conditioners too.

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Co2
written by Automat, June 26, 2008

This technology is mostly developed in Norway and I guess there are patents involved. The good thing about using CO2 as a refridgerant is that a CO2 heat pump can manage big heat differences between the cold side and the hot side in just one step with a minimum of energy use. It is also more space effective. Many cars use this system. CO2 heatpumps are specially good for heating domestic water.

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written by joe, June 26, 2008

Hank, try proofing your editorials before you actually post them. By doing so you'll have the opportunity to find and correct a number of grammatical mistakes and sections that don't make sense (i.e., parts of the sentence are missing). I struggled through every paragraph.

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Purchase
written by Diego, June 26, 2008

But where do you purchase CO2 refrigerators for the home?

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Coke and HFCS
written by Green Star, June 26, 2008

This is excellent news! Now Coca Cola now get rid of all the HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and put the real sugar back in. I am tired of spending the extra $$ to get coke from Mexico.

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Under PRESSURE
written by Foraker, June 26, 2008

The problem with C02 as a refrigerant is that it requires much higher pressures. Some of the increased robustness of the equipment that is needed can be offset by the increased efficiency. So a smaller compressor is needed, but the walls of the compressor and all of the piping and fittings and heat exchanger components have to be stronger/thicker to withstand years at a higher pressure.
And hope you're not standing next to the heat exchanger when a sudden pressure leak develops.

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Green Cooling
written by Green Cooling, May 06, 2009

The move to CO2 refrigeration systems is without question a very good thing, but Coke could have and should have moved much faster on this by now. HFCs are a significant and very rapidly growing slice of the greenhouse emissions pie, and urgent action to phase them out is imperative. Coke needs to cast aside their irrational aversion to hydrocarbon refrigerants (propane R290/isobutane R600a) and join with Unilever in embracing these solutions also.

But by far the bigger issue is to get rid of HFCs from car air con systems and adopt hydrocarbons for use in existing systems. This has been going on largely under the radar for years in the US, and is well accepted in Australia, Japan and many other parts of the world, but baseless objections from the US EPA and their puppetmasters in the fluorolobby need urgently to be dropped.

CO2 is unsuited to domestic fridges, which overwhelmingly use HFCs in most parts of the world still, although the use of HCs is starting to increase gradually, having been pioneered over 15 years ago by Greenpeace in Germany.

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