Difluorochloromethane (R22) has good prospects in the field of organic synthesis, but has limited development space in the field of refrigerants.

Difluorochloromethane, with the chemical formula CHClF2, is a hydrogen-containing chlorofluorocarbon, abbreviated as HCFC-22 and R22. At normal temperature and pressure, R22 appears as a colorless gas with a slight sweet taste. It can be liquefied under pressure and appears as a colorless and transparent liquid. It is toxic, non-flammable, soluble in water, ether, chloroform, acetone, etc. Some organic solvents have good chemical stability and high thermal stability. They do not react with metals in dry air at room temperature.

Among the second-generation hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) refrigerants, R22 has the highest application proportion. It is the most widely used medium and low-temperature refrigerant and can be widely used in air conditioning, industrial and commercial refrigeration, refrigeration equipment and other fields. In August 2021, due to tight market supply, my country’s refrigerant prices rose overall. At the end of August and early September, R22 increased by more than 30%. By mid-November, market supply and demand stabilized, refrigerant prices fell, and the average quotation of R22 dropped to 21,000 yuan/ton.

R22 has high ozone depletion potential (ODP) and GWP (global warming potential) and has a great impact on the environment. As a refrigerant, it is being eliminated by the market. The Chinese government has adopted production quotas for it. In 2021, my country’s total R22 production quota is 224,807 tons, a decrease of 364 tons compared with 2020. In 2020, R22 is still the most produced HCFCs refrigerant in my country, but its development space in the refrigerant field continues to shrink, and its market share dropped to about 10% in 2020.

R125 (pentafluoroethane) is the third generation hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) refrigerant. R22 can be used as raw material to produce R125. R22 is also an important raw material for the production of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFE is commonly known as the “King of Plastics”. It has excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, acid resistance, alkali resistance, organic solvent resistance, etc., and can be used in a wide range of downstream applications. R22 can also produce hexafluoropropylene, which is used to prepare polyperfluoroethylene-propylene (FEP). Polyperfluoroethylene-propylene is a soft plastic with flame retardancy, weather resistance, low friction coefficient, low dielectric constant, and wide operating temperature range. Due to its advantages such as wide width, it is in great demand in the fields of wires and cables and membrane materials.

According to the “2021-2025 Difluorochloromethane (R22) Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” released by the Industrial Research Center shows that judging from the development trend of R125 and resin industries, R22 as a raw material still has good market space in the future. Moreover, my country only imposes quota restrictions on the production of R22 used for consumer purposes such as refrigerants, and the production of R22 used as raw materials is not restricted. From this point of view, companies with well-established industry chains for R22, R125, polytetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene, and polyperfluoroethylene-propylene have greater development prospects. The main companies in my country with large R22 production capacity and relatively complete industrial chain layout include Shandong Dongyue, Juhua Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Meilan, Zhonghao Chenguang, etc.

Industry analysts said that my country’s R22 production capacity for raw materials is still expanding. In January 2020, Changshu Sanai Fuzhonghao Chemical New Materials Co., Ltd. released an environmental impact report on the technical transformation project of the 14,000-ton hexafluoropropylene plant with an annual output of 36,000 tons of difluorochloromethane and by-products of 112,500 tons of hydrochloric acid and 6,000 tons of hydrofluoric acid. Generally speaking, in addition to the shrinking market space for consumer applications such as refrigerants, R22 as a raw material has good future development prospects in the field of organic synthesis.