How to dispose of industrial solvents that contain F gas
Someone qualified to handle fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases) must recover F gas from solvents, before you can dispose of them.
Solvents used in industrial cleaning processes sometimes contain fluorinated greenhouse gases F gases, like hydroflourocarbon (HFC) 4310mee.
If you use solvents that contain (F gases) regulated by the EU, you’ll need to recover the F gas from your solvent cleaning equipment before you dispose of it.
How to recover F gas
You’ll need to hire someone who has either:
- an F gas handling certificate from Fraser Technology
- a qualification to recover F gas from solvents that’s recognised by another EU state
Check that whoever you hire is qualified.
Destroying F gas or reusing solvent
Talk to the technician you hire about options for reusing your solvents.
Your technician can:
- send the used solvent to a specialist plant that can re-process it to create ‘reclaimed solvent’
- put the solvent through a basic cleaning process, to create ‘recycled solvent’
Alternatively, if your solvent is too contaminated, your technician can recover the F gas and send it for destruction by incineration at a licensed waste facility.
Contact your local authority to find out where your nearest licensed waste facility is.
EU phase down of HFCs
The EU is cutting the availability of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are a type of F gas, by 79% between 2015 and 2030.
HFCs, particularly those with high global warming potentials, are likely to become more expensive.
The HFCs that are being phased down are listed with their global warming potentials in section 1 of the list of F gases regulated by the EU.
Find out more about the HFC phase down.