HOW FREEZERS MELT THE EARTH

This post describes well the uses of refrigeration, the harmful effects of refrigeration, the Greenhouse effect, and its devastating aftermaths addition to various steps to minimalize the environmental impact caused by the refrigerants.

Contents

• Refrigeration in Modern Times
• Refrigerant
• Green House Effect
• Our Role in Safeguarding Earth
• Conclusion 

 

REFRIGERATION IN MODERN TIMES

         The refrigerator is one of the most vital components of our daily life. It is used to store foods for a long time without any contamination. Bacteria cannot enter the refrigerator due to the extremely low temperature. Thus, the foods present inside the fridge will be fresh. Refrigerator came as a replacement for traditional methods of food preservation like Salting, Pickling, Drying, etc. The main advantage of refrigeration when compared with other preservation techniques is that the foods will be preserved without any change in taste and other properties. 

REFRIGERANT

           The chemical which is used to maintain the temperature within the fridge is called the refrigerant. The first refrigerant used is Liquid ammonia. The liquid ammonia has a low boiling point and thus can be used well within the refrigerator system. But, later on, it proved to be a dangerous idea as ammonia vaporizes easily and ammonia gas is a flammable substance. Also, ammonia is a skin and eye irritant. This led to the ban on the usage of liquid ammonia in 1920. 

Several substances were thought of as medicine by our ancestors but were poison. Likewise, the harmful Liquid ammonia was replaced with Freons {Notable example. Chloro Fluoro Carbon (CFC)}. Freons are non-flammable and didn’t pose threat to humans. So, they were implemented from 1928 as a refrigerant. They were used in all cooling types of equipment like freezers, air-conditioners, etc.

Freons, though posed no threat to the human body, had a severe effect on the environment. The disadvantages of Freon were not known just like the disadvantages of asbestos. The Freons which are released from the cooling substances, react with the Ozone present in the atmosphere, and lead to the thinning of the Ozone layer. The ozone layer is the natural filter present in the atmosphere which prevents the entry of the harmful ultra-violet rays from entering the earth. To add pain to the wound, the Freons are also responsible for the Greenhouse effect.

Thus, the freons were banned in the 1980s but a similar threat is posed by other refrigerants too. 

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

The Greenhouse effect – This name may sound like an Eco-friendly thing, but it is not. The GreenHouse effect is the increase in the earth’s temperature due to the entrapment of the sun’s radiation within our atmosphere by the Greenhouse gases. The most common greenhouse gas is Carbon Dioxide. But several refrigerants like refrigerant R410a of a known amount creates 2000 times impact when compared to the same amount of Carbon dioxide (1 kg of R410a has the same result as 2000 kg of Carbon Dioxide). The increase in Greenhouse gases led to the rise in the temperature of the earth. This led to the melting of glaciers.

       The melting of glaciers has several disastrous effects. Living things that depend on the Glacier ecosystem will get affected the most. Animals like Polar bear, Penguins, Seal, Walrus, Arctic wolf, etc. will become homeless and may even extinct. Other than that, the melting of glaciers will lead to an increase in the sea level. Even a small rise in the sea level will lead to the sinking of several coastal areas.  

OUR ROLE IN SAFEGUARDING EARTH

       It is the duty of each one of us to safeguard our planet and conserve its resources for our future generation. The following steps will help in limiting the harmful effects. 

• Know the refrigerant in your devices. Check the vital properties of the refrigerants like Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP – The effect of the refrigerant in depleting Ozone) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). Some refrigerants have Zero ODP and low GWP. Try to use them on your device.  
• Repair the Leaks in the refrigerating/cooling device. The leakage of refrigerants must be fixed at all costs. 
• Know the validity of refrigerants and the refrigerators or air conditioners etc. Recycle the devices once their lifetime is over to save power and to prevent leaks. 
• Use cooling devices only when there is an immediate and necessary need. Use cooling devices wisely. 
• Upgradation to modern systems will improve power efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

CONCLUSION

It is the duty of each and everyone on this planet to protect it and nurture it. We should make this world a better place to live in. so, try to follow these steps whenever possible.

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