Summary: In early Oct. 2022, the 5,000 t/a R1233zd production equipment jointly constructed by Arkema and Shandong Aofan started operation.

On 6 Oct., 2022, Arkema announced that the 5,000 t/a fourth generation refrigerant 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (R1233zd) production equipment of its partner in China, Shandong Aofan New Material Co., Ltd. (Shandong Aofan), was put into production successfully. This project was signed in June 2021, with a total investment of USD105.65 million (RMB750.00 million). This project is divided into two phases: this first phase contains capacity of 5,000 t/a R1233zd, 5,000 t/a pentafluoropropane (R245fa), and 500 t/a tetrafluoropropene (R1234yf), with an investment hitting USD28.17 million (RMB200.00 million); the investment of the second phase is USD77.47million (RMB550.00 million) and it will achieve capacity of 20,000 t/a R1233zd, 10,000 t/a R245fa, 2,000 t/a R1234yf, and 2,000 t/a fluorine salt when completed.

Arkema said that it has cooperated with Shandong Aofan for more than three years so far. At the beginning of 2022, Arkema announced to launch R1233zd commercial products in North America to expand business in sustainable material field. Therefore, this R1233zd production equipment of Shandong Aofan is vital to support the industry growth.

In addition, Arkema's new production lines in Calvert City Base in the U.S. have also officially begun construction. This project, with an investment of USD60.00 million (RMB425.95 million), will transform the tetrafluoroethane (R134a) lines into new R1233zd devices, with capacity hitting 15,000 t/a; this project is predicted to be completed in early 2024.

Shandong Aofan is the parent company of Zibo Aofan Chemical Co., Ltd. (Aofan Chemical) which was established in March 2011. Aofan Chemical is a technological enterprise engaging in R&D, production and sales of green fluorine-enriched refrigerants and foaming agent.

R1233zd is the fourth generation hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) refrigerant and it has excellent performance like low toxicity, low global warming potential (GWP), zero ozone depleting potential (ODP), and non-combustion. R1233zd can replace dichlorotrifluoroethane (R123) when used in low pressure centrifugal water chilling units. The GWP of R1233zd is 1, 99.9% lower than that of R245fa. Apart from being used as refrigerant, R1233zd can also be used as physical foaming agent in closed-cell polyurethane foam in application of thermal insulation building and cold-chain.

As the fourth generation refrigerant, R1233zd is still in the initial phase of industrialisation. The product has been mainly produced by foreign fluorochemical manufacturers. Some domestic enterprises also steamed ahead with their layout. In addition to Shandong Aofan, Jiangxi Zhongxin Artsen New Material Co., Ltd. also has been constructing its 10,000 t/a R1233zd project.