CHLOROFLUOROCARBON MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Challenges And Opportunities

Market Dynamics

The chlorofluorocarbon market is mainly driven by its application in household appliances since they are highly stable, non-flammable, and non-toxic. The refrigerants industry is accountable for majority of the market share, where CFCs are used in the manufacture of air conditioning products and refrigerators. The demand for CFCs is expected to be led by emerging nations owing to the relatively lax regulations and legislations against application of CFCs. However, the highly stable nature of CFCs which had increased its demand in industries is the prime reason for environmental problems faced today. The stratospheric ozone layer protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and even slight decrease in the stratospheric ozone concentration can cause harmful diseases such as skin cancer and genetic disorders in humans and other organisms. An interaction between UV rays and CFC molecules causes the latter to dissociate and produce chlorine atoms and chlorodifluoromethyl radicals. This initiates a process in which a single chlorine atom causes countless ozone molecules to convert to oxygen. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons or HCFCs, however, pose comparatively lesser risk than CFCs, since they decompose readily at lower atmosphere, but they too are scheduled to be phased out by 2030 due to their stratospheric ozone depletion risk.