The kingpin of soda, Coca-Cola, is changing the face--and footprint--of the refrigeration industry by replacing its conventional fleet of vending machines with a climate-friendly model. Most vending machines rely on refrigerants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a chemical hodgepodge that has an incredible power to cool the air. HFCs can also be 1,430 times more harmful to the climate than global warming's main culprit, carbon dioxide.
Paradoxically, Coca-Cola's new refrigerant of choice is carbon dioxide.
"We talk about fighting fire with fire," says Bryan Jacob, director of energy and climate protection for Coke. He notes that carbon dioxide is nonflammable, nontoxic, comparatively inexpensive and readily available. "In the right application, CO2 can be a solution to climate change."
About 10 years ago academic research emerged on how HFCs affect global warming. Yet it took the publication of the Velders Report in 2009--which predicted a dramatic rise in HFC use due to steady growth in the refrigeration industry--for HFCs to join the list of other infamous greenhouse gases : carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The report's silver lining is its mention of natural alternatives, including CO2, ammonia and hydrocarbons (including propane and isobutene).
"The proof that natural refrigerants work is our grandparents had refrigerators charged with ammonia, propane and carbon dioxide," says Kert Davies, director of research for Greenpeace, which has been promoting natural refrigeration technology since 1992 as an alternative to methods that harm the ozone layer and climate systems. Natural refrigerants have been successfully used abroad for decades.
Like most refrigerants, CO2 works by removing heat from the air. As it evaporates, it absorbs the heat, chilling the air inside the machine. The main difference between CO2 and other refrigerants is that CO2 must be used at a much higher pressure, which necessitates stronger pipes.
Coke and others are phasing out use of ozone-depleting refrigerants to keep drinks cool.
The trend is catching on.
PepsiCo installed 35 new HFC-free vending machines in Miami just in time for the Super Bowl. These utilize hydrocarbons--propane and butane--refrigerants that are already popular in Europe. Ben & Jerry's ice cream company (a unit of Unilever) is launching its own version of this technology at stores in the Washington, D.C., and Boston areas. Meanwhile General Electric is seeking approval to sell home-use refrigerators in the U.S. using a hydrocarbon refrigerant.
"We expect to continue using both technologies--CO2 and hydrocarbons," says Coke's Bryan Jacob. "We also hope new technologies will emerge with the ultimate goal being the elimination of HFCs."
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