Production and Sales
of Fluorocarbons

In addition to the participants listed in the introduction to this database, the following companies have reported:

• Union Carbide (U.S.A.) - production through 1977 and sales through 1989;
• Navin Fluorine Industries (India) - production and sales for the period from 1983 through 1986;
• Chemiewerk Nünchritz GmbH (Germany) and its subsidiary - production and sales for the period from 1990 through 1993;
• POLIFIN (formerly African Explosives and Chemical Industries Ltd., South Africa) - production and sales through 1995;
• Quimobasicos (Mexico) - production and sales through 1996;
• Celanese GmbH (formerly Hoechst AG, Germany) including its subsidiary, Hoechst do Brasil (Brazil) - production and sales through 1996;
• Pacific Chemical Industries (Australia), a subsidiary of Elf Atochem (now Arkema France S.A.) - production and sales through 1996;
• Phosphoric Fertilizer Industry S.A., formerly Société des Industries Chimiques du Nord de la Grèce - production and sales for the period 1990-2001;
• Produven (Venezuela) - production and sales through 2002;
• Showa Denko K.K. (Japan) - production and sales through 2001.

CFCs 11, 12, 113, 114 and 115

These amounts exclude any production of product used as an intermediate for chemical or plastic production.

Reported production amounts are determined by adding opening inventory, production and purchases from co-producers and subtracting sales to co-producers, closing inventory and amounts used or sold for chemical intermediates. The resulting figure equates to sales.

Because the companies responding to AFEAS now represent a small and diminishing fraction of global CFC production (less than 16% in 2004), no CFC data were sought or reported.

HCFC - 22

These amounts exclude any non-dispersive uses of HCFC-22 as feedstock for other chemical products. Fugitive emissions from the chemical processing are taken into account via estimates using the methodology described in P.M. Midgley and D.A. Fisher, Atmospheric Environment, 27A, 2215-2223, 1993.

Reported production amounts are determined by adding opening inventory, production and purchases from co-producers and subtracting sales to co-producers, closing inventory and amounts used or sold for chemical intermediates. The resulting figure equates to sales.

HCFCs 124, 141b and 142b; HFCs 134a, 125 and 143a

These amounts exclude any non-dispersive uses of the compounds as feedstock for other chemical products. Fugitive emissions from the chemical processing are taken into account via estimates derived from the results of a separate survey of the producers.

Reported production amounts are determined by adding opening inventory, production and purchases from co-producers and subtracting sales to co-producers, closing inventory and amounts used or sold for chemical intermediates. The resulting figure equates to sales.

Each year each reporting company provides an estimate of the error inherent in its response and the estimated total error is the sum of these.

Error limits were not available for CFCs 11 and 12 prior to 1983 and 5% was assumed for each respondent.

CFCs 11, 12, 113, 114 and 115

Because the companies responding to AFEAS represent a small and diminishing fraction of global sales of CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs, no CFC data were sought or reported from 2004 onwards and reporting of HCFCs and HFCs has now ceased.

HCFCs 22, 124, 141b and 142b; HFCs 134a, 125 and 143a

Companies were asked to report sales into categories that have short term (prompt) emissions, such as aerosol propellants, solvents and open cell foams; medium term emissions (refrigeration, air conditioning) and long term emissions (closed cell foams). The categories appropriate for particular end uses for each compound are indicated on the individual tables.

During the 2003 study, discrepancies were found in the method of calculating fugitive emissions for HCFCs and HFCs. These were rectified and the amounts reported for 1996 through 2002 were restated having applied the correct and consistent formula. This also affected the cumulative Estimated Errors reported.

The collection of data for 2004 onwards is being performed by Cefic (the European Confederation of Chemical Industry Councils) whose Statistical Department has imposed a confidentiality criterion that did not exist in previous AFEAS data. In addition to the existing rule that there should be at least three manufacturers, the new rule prevents publication of data in any category if one manufacturer reports more than 70% of the value in that category. The boxes affected are indicated in red on the tables.

The year 2007 is the final year for which data will be collected. This is due to the diminishing fraction of global production represented by the AFEAS data - much less than half of HCFCs and about 60% of HFCs. Thus emissions calculated from these data are not representative of global releases and so have limited scientific value.