Gas Buster

“Solving the climate crisis requires reducing emissions of both CO2 and even more potent non-CO2 gases. The gases found in refrigeration equipment, are often overlooked and accelerate climate change, particularly in the short term. Preventing their emission will buy time for broader CO2 strategies to take effect.

Under the Montreal Protocol, the production of CFC refrigerants in the U.S. and the production of HCFCs have been phased out. While the use of these materials is now prohibited, the destruction of existing stockpiles is not required, so without destruction, gases in stockpiles will eventually be released into the atmosphere. Collection and destruction, paid for only by the sale of carbon credits, makes the project truly additional.

Tradewater collects forgotten greenhouse gases using a small-scale aggregation approach. The consistent focus on many small sources results in a large and scalable impact.”

– Dee Lawrence

Project Type: Technology Based Avoidance/Reduction

Carbon Standard: ACR

Vintage: 2022

Additionality: There are no incentives or financial mechanisms to encourage ODS destruction so without the incentive of revenues from the sale of carbon credits, destruction will not take place and the gases would escape into the atmosphere.

Permanence: There is no risk of reversal in this project as the GHG is permanently destroyed. Tradewater’s technologies ensure that over 99.99% of the chemicals are permanently destroyed during the destruction process.

Site Visit: To be decided

Tradewater is an organization that collects and eliminates ozone-depleting substances (ODS) worldwide. In this particular project, ODS is gathered from various locations in Texas, Illinois, Georgia, and New York, and transported to Ohio for destruction.

The ODS refrigerant used in this project comes from two sources: recovery from decommissioned building chillers and disposable cylinders/drums containing virgin material. The refrigerant, which would otherwise be stored or used in chiller systems with older refrigerants, is at risk of eventually venting due to storage container corrosion, equipment breakdowns, or mishandling. By sending the refrigerants to Heritage Thermal Services, an eligible destruction facility, Tradewater mitigates the risk of venting.

The collected ODS refrigerant is consolidated into half-ton cylinders at the Tradewater facility and then further consolidated into a single ISO tank for transportation to the destruction facility, where it undergoes incineration.

To ensure accurate measurement and verification, every container of ODS destroyed by Tradewater is weighed and sampled by third parties. The destruction facility closely monitors the incineration process, guaranteeing that over 99.99% of the ODS is destroyed, as required by strict environmental regulations.

Tradewater accounts for emissions generated during the collection, transport, and destruction of ODS, reducing the number of offsets issued accordingly. The organization also considers the use of substitute chemicals to replace the destroyed refrigerants, incorporating additional reductions into its protocols.

Detailed information regarding these ODS destruction projects, including emissions accounting, is published by Tradewater in a Certificate of Destruction.

• Refrigerants are permanently destroyed.
• Transparent and quantifiable destruction with results at 99.99%
• Traceable chain of custody to a destruction facility
• High climate impact

• ODS are high Global Warming Potential (GWP) Gases and therefore precise measurement is essential to accurate estimation of emission reductions.
• Highly qualified professionals are needed to operate machinery and waste.
• Limited availability of reliable incineration operations around the world.
• ODS is a hazardous waste that needs to be handled in compliance with federal, state, and local regulation laws.