Honeywell Announces EPA Acceptance for New Blowing Agent

February 2, 2011 - Honeywell's Special Materials division, a major international manufacturer of specialty materials which include fluorine products, films and additives, composites and advanced fibers, announced that the Environmental Protection Agency has approved its new foam blowing agent.

The material is a key propellant in spray foam applications, and it should serve to further reduce the environmental impact of foam insulation. The benefit of the new compound - a hydrofluoroolefin with the less-than-beautiful moniker of HFO-1234ze - is that it contributes to global warming and ozone depletion far less than some competing chemicals.

In addition, it's also non-flammable, and it can replace Honeywell's HFC-134a and HFC-152a blowing agents, which have global warming potential factor more than twenty times higher than the new material.

"End consumers, the environment and our customers all benefit from the U.S. EPA's acceptance of this low-global-warming-potential fluorocarbon," said Terrence Hahn, a vice president at the firm's fluorine products division. "Honeywell continues to lead the way in introducing solutions to ensure energy efficiency and enhance environmental compliance across numerous applications."

Spray foam insulation can help reduce the total emissions and carbon footprint of a house by conserving energy and reducing heating costs - and now, Honeywell has come up with a new compound that can reduce the environmental impact of the application process itself.