Canada’s PureSphera, Appliance Recovery Center

Refrigeration and air conditioning appliances contain harmful gases that significantly contribute to global warming and the greenhouse effect. Canada’s obligations under the UN Montreal Protocol were implemented with Ozone-Depleting Substances regulations in 1998, followed by updates to phase out the manufacture and consumption of CFCs and HCFCs. In Quebec, the number of end-of-life household refrigeration appliances is estimated at 348,000 per year. PureSphera, a Canadian company based in Bécancour, Quebec, launched a refrigerant gas recovery service in response to energy efficiency programs from public and private utilities. Unfortunately, 80% were improperly handled and processed, releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere.

PureSphera’s technology successes are discussed here, given their recent Canada Clean50 Top Projects award (through Delta Management Group). PureSphera is an official RECYC-QUÉBEC recovery centre that dismantles and decontaminates end-of-life household refrigerators, freezers, cellars, coolers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, and air conditioners collected by Quebec eco centres, appliance retailers, and municipalities. This complies with Quebec’s regulation for the recovery and reclamation of products for managing household appliances and halocarbon disposal under Extended Producer Responsibility.

Clean50 reports technology transfer, $15 million in R&D investments ($200,000 in 2021, $250,000 in 2022), new equipment, new practices, training, and establishing new environmental standards as key to their success. The sale of spare parts and refurbished fridges has also been undertaken for several years. PureSphera uses a clean technology system made in Germany by SEG, G Umwelt-Service GmbH, to remove CFCs and other hydrocarbons from old appliances. Every unit is fully decontaminated, and its materials are dismantled and recovered, with the client receiving an environmental certificate for greenhouse gas emissions avoided. Permission to handle CFC-containing hazardous waste is mandatory.

PureSphera collects material in Winnipeg and throughout Quebec. They recycle more than 96% of refrigerants, foams, plastics, metals and hazardous materials when dismantling refrigeration equipment and breaking down harmful gases to reduce their environmental impact. Results include a >99.9999% refrigerant destruction efficiency. PureSphera also diverts more than 100,000 kg of plastics monthly. Between January 2021 and March 2023, more than 2,000,000 kg of plastics were recycled. That’s in addition to recouping metals, glass, polyurethane, oils, and some reclaimed gas. A total of 1,500 fridges were repaired and sold during that same timeframe. The sale of more than 105,000 verified carbon offsets through Quebec’s regulated carbon market protocol also occurred within that period.

Their efforts help promote a circular economy. Automated technology separates materials and recovers ferrous and non-ferrous metals, high-quality plastic, and decontaminated oil, which authorized recyclers then reuse. Compressors are recycled for their copper and steel content. Purified polyurethane is recovered for use as an industrial absorbent. Each recycled refrigerator contains more than 15 kg of recycled plastic material, some used in resin mixes for household appliances and electronics. PureSphera currently generates more than 7,500 tons of CO2eq reductions every month.

Performance indicators validate projects on treated waste materials, enhanced recovery, precise emissions prevention, and marketable reductions. PureSphera has helped reduce emissions by over 1.8 million tons of CO2 eq since its 2008 startup. The average refrigerator recovery contains about 1 ton of CO2 eq. According to a year of manufacture and gas type, up to 3.5 tons per appliance can be reduced. They can reduce emissions by up to 300,000 tons of CO2 eq/year. Initially, complete recovery of CFCs / HFCs wasn’t technically possible, so SEG developed this technology to remove as many CFCs / HFCs as possible from old appliances.

Construction waste containing harmful chemicals must not be burned in a normal heating plant. It requires special sorting, handling, pressurization, cooling, storage, transport, and recycling. Refrigerants (CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs) extracted from treated equipment are destroyed in compliance with regulations. In North America, SEG technology is only available at PureSphera. Other companies using this technology are Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, and Greece.

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Canada Country Manager Diane Stoller.

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