December 13, 2006—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has presented awards to three companies for phasing out or replacing sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in its processes. EPA is working to reduce emissions from SF6, which it says is the most potent greenhouse gas and nearly 24,000 times as effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere as an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.
Lunt Manufacturing in Schaumburg, IL, conducted trials of three promising alternative melt protection technologies. Tokai Rika in Aichi, Japan, reduced its SF6 emissions by 80 percent since 2000 by optimizing its melt protection systems and using a new technology. By replacing equipment and training employees, Southern California Edison in Irvine, CA, prevented 109,129 lbs. of SF6 from entering the atmosphere from 1999 to 2005, which is reportedly the equivalent to annual emissions from 250,000 cars.
EPA maintains active partnership programs with the two largest US SF6 emission sources: electric utilities and the magnesium industry. EPA says its partnerships are reducing SF6 emissions by implementing cost-effective improvements to industrial processes, with SF6 emissions expected to remain below 1990 levels beyond the year 2010. The magnesium industry has reportedly committed to phasing out SF6 emissions by the end of 2010.
For information on EPA’s partnership with Electric Power Systems or the Magnesium Industry, visit EPA’s site.
