Brazil. A significant increase in the price of a vital component in HFC production put pressure on refrigerant fluid prices around the world and the impact in Brazil has already been felt. Brazilian businessmen believe that the worst moment of this adaptation has passed and that prices can stabilize again from now on.
The alteration occurred because of the price of Fluorite, a mineral used in the production of hydrofluoric acid that makes up the production of HFCs. The price of the mineral reached the biggest rise in the last four years in China, which is the world's largest producer. Fluorite prices are up nearly 40% since February, leading to increases in China of around 60% in the price of R-22 and R-134a, a 130% increase in the price of R-125, and a 160% cost increase in R-32.
Since the adoption of the Montreal Protocol, the need for the gradual elimination of the use of HCFCs, a gas that degrades the ozone layer, was defined in the world. Therefore, the market has strongly adopted the use of HFC fluids, which has as a characteristic not to degrade the ozone layer, and has been the most used type of gas currently in refrigeration systems, air conditioners and etc. The impact of this increase reaches the entire cold chain, mainly what the maintenance services of the equipment do, a segment responsible for the greater consumption of refrigerant fluid in the country. It is estimated that 80% of refrigerant fluids are used in maintenance services and much of these services are produced in supermarkets - explains RLX CEO Ramon Lumertz.
The impact on the Brazilian market could be felt from the month of April, when manufacturers and suppliers were forced to review prices to consumers. However, it is already possible to perceive a stabilization of the increases from the month of September.
