# Presentation: 240201

## EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships – High GWP Industries 

- Scott Bartos and Sally Rand
- Climate Protection Partnerships Division
- September 23, 2003

## Organization

- EPA’s Voluntary Partnerships
- High GWP Chemicals
- Mg and Al Industry Emissions
- Achievements and Next Steps

## EPA’s Climate Partnerships  

**Widespread partnerships**
- 7,000+ participating organizations
- includes industry, service sector, public sector
**Achieving real results**
- 66 MMTCE reductions in 2001 alone
- >500 MMTCE locked in through 2012
**Spurring investment**
- focused on cost-effective opportunities
**Delivering value-added tools & services **
- Energy Star energy management plan
- High GWP GHG inventory tools
- Cost effective alternative chemicals

## Man-Made Greenhouse Gases

- Carbon dioxide, CO2
- Methane, CH4
- Nitrous Oxides, NOX
**Hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs**
**Perfluorocarbons, PFCs**
**Sulfur Hexafluoride, SF****6**

**Notes:**
Pollution is too much of anything in the wrong place
Many natural substances are harmful in excessive amounts
Nitrogen, phosphorus, CO2 are all examples
CO2 is a persistent pollutant
Like DDT and mercury, it builds up in the environment and takes a long time to dissipate 

## Slide 5

## Why Worry About High GWP Emissions?

- 1 Kg SF6 = 5 _TONNES_ of CO2

## High GWP PartnershipsWorking Broadly with Industry

**HFC-23 from HCFC-22 Production** - since 1993
*100% participation; 24% reduction ‘95-’00*
**PFCs from Aluminum** - since 1994
*45% reduction 1990-2000; extend goals to 2010 *
**PFCs from Semiconductors** - since 1996
*Program model for World Semiconductor Council *
**SF****6**** from Electric Power Systems** - since 1999
*Partners represent 40% of U.S. generation*
**SF****6**** from Magnesium** - since 1999
*Partners represent 80% of U.S. emissions*
**Mobile A/C** - since 1999
*OEMs, Equipment Suppliers, SAE, Canada, EU*

## Pollution Prevention (P2) Approach

- Process Optimization
- Improve production process
- Gas handling
- Leak detection
- Alternative chemicals or designs
- Capture/Recycle
- Abatement

## Memorandum of Understanding

- Agreement between company and EPA
- Identify general principals
- Identify EPA and company responsibilities
- Identify contact and responsible person(s)

## EPA Responsibilities

- Develop tracking and reporting protocols
- Evaluate reduction technologies
- Global warming effects, toxicity, basic science
- Facilitate information sharing
- Case studies
- Host technical conferences
- Recruit domestic partners and promote similar voluntary commitments internationally
- Recognize industry achievements
- Climate Protection Award

## Company Responsibilities

- Commit to reduce emissions
- Set an emission reduction goal
- Document baseline emissions
- Report annual emissions
- Explore long-term emissions control options
- Share information on successful (and   unsuccessful) strategies

## Magnesium Industry Climate Protection Goal

**Eliminate** SF6 Emissions by 2010
- Advanced SF6 leak detection
- Improved equipment designs
- Alternative cover gases

## Alternative Mg Melt Protection

- Molten Mg with Protective Cover Gas

- Molten Mg _without_ Protective Cover Gas

## Public/Private Industry Collaboration

- International Magnesium Association, U.S. EPA, and Environment Canada
- $600,000 3-year study to identify and evaluate new cover gases
- Two promising new technologies
- 3M Novec 612TM – Fluorinated Ketone
- AMCover – HFC-134a

## Environmental Benefit

- *1999 Dow ceases 1o Mg production
- **2001 NWA ceases 1o Mg production

## PFCs are unintended by-product of Primary Aluminum production

- PFCs result from “anode effects”
- Process imbalances in the raw materials
- PFCs produced from anode effects a function of:
- Duration and frequency of anode effects
- Cell amperage
- Anode effect voltage
- Total PFC emissions (kg CF4/t Al) primarily a function of anode effect minutes per cell day
- Emissions per anode effect minute strongly dependent on type of smelter technology

## Voluntary Aluminum Industry Partnership (VAIP)

- Effective in reducing emissions
- 45% reduction from 1990 to 2000
- New goal 70% reduction from 1990-2010
- Develop and share best practices
- Domestic and International activities
- Economic and technical analysis
- High quality data
- Collaborate with IPCC, International Aluminium Institute

## Scope of VAIP Activities

- Developing inventory protocol for PFC emissions
- Conduct workshops for benchmarking and good practices for reduction of anode effects
- Collaborate with IPCC, International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and member companies in developing better PFC inventories
- Sponsor basic research to better understand anode effects
- Sponsor measurements of PFCs to establish the relationship with aluminium production

## Power of Voluntary Partnerships

- Flexible
- Information-based
- Can not manage what is not measured
- Cooperative research initiatives
- Explore new approaches to P2
- Involve various industry stakeholders
- Non-regulatory

## Results: 1990 - 2000

## Equipment and Material Suppliers Critical to Success

- Consider environmental impacts during design phase/materials selection
- Environmentally friendly products = good business

## Opportunities for all Companies

- Inventory emissions
- Identify reduction opportunities
- Use pollution prevention hierarchy
- Check with U.S. EPA, trade associations
- Tell workers, suppliers and customers reducing emissions important

## EPA Approach for Voluntary Progams

- Sector specific
- Develop specialized knowledge
- emission sources and processes
- available technologies & costs
- barriers to implementation
- Design customized programs for cost-effective reductions, quality data
- Focus on what we can do in 5-10 years

##    Power of Voluntary Agenda

- Protect the Climate
- Avoid Regulation
- Increase Certainty for Business Planning
- Assure Customer Confidence
- Earn Trust of Environmental NGOs
- Lower overall costs

## New Contact Information

- Scott Bartos
- _[Bartos.scott@epa.gov](mailto:Bartos.scott@epa.gov)_
- Tel. (202) 343-9167

- Sally Rand
- _[Rand.sally@epa.gov](mailto:Rand.sally@epa.gov)_
- Tel. (202) 343-9739