"The institution of higher learning we are affiliated with is a key component of the newly created $26 million National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center."
The University of Kansas, in partnership with several renowned institutions, has launched a groundbreaking initiative titled the Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH). Led by Professor Mark Shiflett, the center focuses on developing environmentally friendly and sustainable refrigerants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) systems.
The mission of EARTH is to create a transformative refrigerant lifecycle that significantly lowers greenhouse-gas emissions, promoting a circular refrigerant economy. This approach addresses both the direct emissions from refrigerant leaks and the indirect emissions from inefficient energy use in HVACR systems.
To achieve this goal, EARTH aims to develop refrigerants with much lower global warming potential (GWP) compared to current refrigerants, fostering a sustainable, circular economy for refrigerants that emphasizes recycling and reuse to reduce emissions from refrigerant leakage and disposal.
The center has received a $26 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for five years, with the potential for an additional $26 million over the next five years. This funding will support collaborative research among multiple universities, including Lehigh, University of Notre Dame, University of Maryland, University of Hawai'i, and University of South Dakota.
Lehigh's team, led by David Vicic, the Howard S. Bunn Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, will focus on developing solutions for the reclamation and repurposing of high-GWP legacy refrigerants. Approaches will include new security markers for refrigerant producers, low-cost, energy-efficient separations of individual HFC compounds, and new methodologies for repurposing high-GWP refrigerants.
In addition to technical advancements, EARTH will engage commercial leaders through projects, testbed use, membership programs, training activities, and annual meetings to stimulate HVACR-ecosystem transformations. The center will also partner with community colleges and technical schools to ensure the availability of the needed workforce at all levels.
The NSF's Engineering Research Centers bring universities and businesses together to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace. EARTH's multifaceted approach addresses the critical challenge of replacing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which account for nearly 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Moreover, EARTH's open-source educational material will benefit HVACR programs at smaller institutions like Pennsylvania College of Technology. The center's ultimate goal is to reimagine the process for heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems across the globe, with a focus on sustainable, accessible, and equitable refrigerant technologies and practices to improve quality of life and combat climate change.
The NSF project is renewable after five years for another $26 million dollars, reflecting the scale and ambition of the effort to sustainably reduce the climate impact of refrigerants worldwide. EARTH's innovative work promises a greener future for HVACR systems, contributing significantly to global efforts against climate change.
- EARTH's mission is to create a transformative refrigerant lifecycle, promoting a circular refrigerant economy, addressing both direct emissions from refrigerant leaks and indirect emissions from inefficient energy use in HVACR systems.
- The center, led by Professor Mark Shiflett, aims to develop refrigerants with much lower global warming potential (GWP) compared to current refrigerants, fostering a sustainable, circular economy for refrigerants that emphasizes recycling and reuse.
- Lehigh's team, led by David Vicic, will focus on developing solutions for the reclamation and repurposing of high-GWP legacy refrigerants, using new security markers, low-cost, energy-efficient separations, and new methodologies for repurposing high-GWP refrigerants.
- The EARTH initiative has received a $26 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for five years, with the potential for an additional $26 million over the next five years, involving collaborative research among multiple universities.
- In addition to technical advancements, EARTH will engage commercial leaders, community colleges, and technical schools to stimulate HVACR-ecosystem transformations and ensure the availability of the needed workforce at all levels.
- The NSF's Engineering Research Centers, like EARTH, bring universities and businesses together to strengthen the competitive position of American industry and address critical challenges, such as replacing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which account for nearly 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
