In a recent letter, the EPA said refrigerant blends used in MVACs could be recycled provided that the recycling equipment meets a new Underwriters Laboratory (UL) standard and the refrigerant is returned only to the vehicle from which it is removed.

The EPA's Stratospheric Ozone Protection Division said they have worked closely with the MVAC industry to ensure the purity of recycled CFC-12 and HCF-134a through strict adherence to standards first established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).  Under those provisions, technicians were allowed to recover blend refrigerants and send them to a reclaimer.  However, because standards did not exist for blend refrigerants, technicians were not allowed to recycle the MVAC refrigerants.

The EPA letter stated the new version of the standard, UL Standard 2964, and includes several requirements for recycling equipment to guarantee that recycled blend refrigerant is similar in purity to recycled CFC-12 or HFC-134a.  EPA said recycling equipment meeting this standard is expected to adequately remove oil, water and other impurities.  Further, technicians must follow similar procedures for recycling blend refrigerants as they do for pure refrigerants.

One key difference between pure refrigerants and blends, however, is that blends may fractionate.  This can make it impossible to predict in advance what composition will remain in the system after a leak.  EPA said that is why it is appropriate to recharge such refrigerant only into the original vehicle.

The only exception to this rule is for fleets of vehicles with a common owner where recycled blend refrigerant may be moved among vehicles within the fleet.

You can call the Hotline number (800-296-1996) listed above to determine the status of these EPA standards and requirements.