A-Gas supplies and provides lifecycle management of refrigerants, reclaiming CFCs and HFCs for industrial re-use or safe destruction, and providing greener next-generation alternatives.
A-Gas supplies, manages and destroys refrigerants for a broad range of industries across 13 countries globally. Can you detail the scope and reach of its services?
A-Gas specializes in refrigerants and fire suppressants, with a strong focus on lifecycle refrigerant management. In addition to traditional refrigerant sales, this involves recovering older refrigerants from clients, recycling them to meet virgin standards, or destroying them if they are no longer needed. It is a truly circular model, and we work closely with customers such as contractors, supermarkets, and industries like aerospace and automotive.
The company has been in operation for 31 years, originating in the U.K. and expanding significantly since. Our owners are primarily private equity firms, and we have seen excellent growth via backing from our investors, TPG Rise Climate and KKR. Today, we employ over 900 people globally across the U.S., Canada, Europe, U.K., South Africa, Middle East, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and China.
Why is the lifecycle management of refrigerants important?
Refrigerants have a high global warming potential (GWP), sometimes up to 8,000 times greater than CO2. Preventing these substances from escaping into the atmosphere is therefore critical for environmental protection. A-Gas closes the loop and minimizes harmful emissions to atmosphere through the recovery, reclamation, and destruction of refrigerants.
In terms of selling gas, A-Gas serves diverse customers, including large air conditioning manufacturers like Daikin and Trane, automotive companies, and aerospace clients, alongside smaller businesses. On the purchasing side, A-Gas acquires refrigerants from those decommissioning equipment or switching to newer refrigerants. We are uniquely positioned in the middle of the industry as the only global company in this field.
In terms of logistics and technology, what does on-site refrigerant recovery and replacement entail?
We completed a project with a large U.S. bank, who needed help transitioning to newer refrigerants. A-Gas undertook a nationwide project to remove older generation refrigerants from the bank's equipment, destroying them at the client’s request, and refilling the machines with next-generation gases.
While newer refrigerants can sometimes be directly substituted, approximately 70% of transitions require technological updates. Newer refrigerants, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), often allow easier transitions. Switching away from older refrigerants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – which are largely phased out due to the Montreal Protocol – is more challenging. We rarely encounter CFCs today, and when we do, we destroy them.
With legislation and consumer preferences driving the uptake of less environmentally harmful refrigerants, how is demand evolving amongst A-Gas’ range of lower-GWP products?
We provide a comprehensive range of lower-GWP refrigerants, including propane, isobutane, ammonia, HCFCs, HFCs - all the way through to the newest generation of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), which are especially present in automotive production - and CO2. CO2 is increasingly popular in supermarket refrigeration due to its green image, even if it is not always the most efficient option.
How does A-Gas ensure the full destruction of high-GWP refrigerants, and who typically requests these services?
A-Gas employs its proprietary PyroPlas plasma arc technology, developed in collaboration with a company it acquired two years ago. This technology achieves a 99.9999% Destruction Rate Efficiency (DRE), meeting the United Nations’ Technical Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) standards and allowing us to generate and sell carbon credits based on the service. While other technologies beside plasma technologies exist, ours is one of the most effective technologies in the world for fully destroying refrigerants.
Destruction services are requested by various clients, particularly when regulations mandate it. A-Gas operates several destruction facilities globally and collaborates with external partners as needed, depending on where we find the CFCs.
The reduction of emissions in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) sector is a priority for policy makers, especially in Europe. Given that air conditioning companies number amongst A-Gas’ clients, how is A-Gas supporting their transition to greener heat pump technologies?
Heat pumps, increasingly central to reducing HVAC emissions, are transitioning from HCFCs to hydrocarbon-based refrigerants like propane, and even CO2 in some cases. A-Gas has a strong base in Europe, which is the global heart of heat pump innovation. We support technological advancements in the sector by acting as a one-stop shop for refrigerants for many of the world’s largest heat pump manufacturers and supporting them daily in fabricating their units.
Do you believe it is possible to phase out high-GWP refrigerants across all global markets? What needs to happen to achieve this?
Yes - one of the things that attracted me to A-Gas is its goal to remove all harmful materials within the refrigeration space over time. It is a long-term project; the last high-GWPs are not likely to leave the market until 2050 or beyond. The longevity of existing equipment, which can last 20-30 years, makes immediate transitions impractical. However, there is a lot of opportunity to accelerate that process and ensure refrigerant recycling becomes the norm. Currently, around 90% of refrigerants still end up in the atmosphere.
How do you ensure that companies using reclaimed CFCs or HFCs prevent them from entering the atmosphere during application?
Legislation plays a key role, starting with the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment, which regulate the use and phase-down of harmful refrigerants globally. A-Gas supports these efforts by creating systems that simplify refrigerant recovery and reclamation. For example, in the U.S., we launched Rapid Exchange, a service that provides contractors with free replacement cylinders while collecting and processing used ones. This model incentivizes proper disposal by making it cost-effective and convenient.
High refrigerant prices also encourage proper recovery, while lower prices can lead to improper handling. Meanwhile, ongoing phasedown measures and increasing recovery efforts by regulatory bodies like the U.S. Environmetal Protection Agency (EPA) and the European community are improving recycling rates globally.
What can the success of the Montreal Protocol in banning CFCs teach us about employing regulation to drive the phase-out of other harmful chemical families like polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)?
CFCs were a clear environmental threat with well-defined alternatives, making their regulation straightforward. The Montreal Protocol succeeded because the problem was easily identifiable, and replacements like HFCs were readily available. PFAS, by contrast, are found in over 8,000 substances across diverse industries, many of which lack feasible alternatives. Their widespread use, especially in mission-critical applications like batteries, complicates regulatory efforts.
Contrary to CFCs, tackling PFAS comprehensively will likely require an application-specific approach to assess necessity, identify viable replacements, and prevent disruption to industries.
What objectives will A-Gas pursue next year to advance refrigerant recycling?
Our primary goal is to drastically reduce the high percentage of refrigerants that still escape into the atmosphere. To target those volumes, we will expand global recovery capabilities through organic growth and strategic acquisitions to increase our market position in key geographies around the world.
Enhancing our destruction services for older, high-GWP refrigerants will also remain a top priority, so that we can provide destruction offsets for our clients’ decarbonization efforts.
