1. 044 IFB www.firebuyer.com
Ron Marcus, Director of Business Development at A-Gas Remtec, explains how
sustainability of halon for critical use may be reaching a critical juncture
“PROGRESS HAS BEEN
MADE TO ADDRESS
ALTERNATIVES FOR
HALON FOR CRITICAL
USE...”
RON MARCUS, DIRECTOR
OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
AT A-GAS REMTEC
I
t has been 20 years since developed countries stopped production of halons as a clean
agent fire suppressant. Halon is still utilised in various critical use applications that may
have a lifecycle beyond 2050. Sustainability becomes a critical question as we access
the current status of supplies, alternatives for critical use and future sustainability.
The ban on production of halon for fire suppression in developed countries was enacted
over 20 years ago on January 1, 1994. Since then, progress has been made to address
alternatives for halon for critical use but there are still numerous challenges in finding
suitable alternatives. Among them are minimum agent performance standards, volume,
weight requirements, systems requirements as well as meeting environmental impact
requirements.
Status of the three major areas of critical use:
Aerospace Industry:
The United Nations Environment Programme’s Halon Technical Options Committee
(HTOC) reports: “All new installations of fire extinguishing systems for engines and cargo
compartments use halon 1301, and all new installations of hand-held extinguishers use
halon 1211. With the exception of lavatory trash receptacles, there has been no retrofit of
halon systems or portable extinguishers with available alternatives in the existing worldwide
fleet of aircraft.”[1] With the life cycle of new equipment in aerospace industry extending
over 50 years in some cases, this presents a significant challenge to sustainability.
With that said, the European Commission adopted cut-off and end dates for essential-use
exemptions for halon on aeroplanes operating in the European Union. The International Civil
Aviation Organisation adopted halon replacement deadlines in 2011.
“Currently, Halon is utilised in four major aircraft application areas: Lavatory Bottles,
Hand-Held Extinguishers, Engine/ APU Nacelles, and Cargo Compartments. The aviation
industry now relies on reserve stockpiles of Halon, supplemented by decontamination and
purification processes to “recycle” Halon. While these approaches fulfill current demand for
Halon, at some point in the future Halon will no longer be economically viable, and as that
time frame approaches the risk of contamination for Halon reserves is a growing safety
concern.”
Halon sustainability for critical
use: Are we at a tipping point?

2. IFB 045www.firebuyer.com
SUSTAINABILITY
Although concerns of contamination exist, those companies
supplying halon for critical use have undertaken extraordinary
efforts and investment to insure compliance with industry
specifications for reclaimed and recycled Halon. Companies
supplying recycled and reclaimed halon work closely with the
United Nation’s Halon Technical Options Committee (HTOC),
Halon Alternative Resources Corporation (HARC) and Halon
Recycling Corporation (HRC) to insure the highest level of
compliance to ASTM and ISO standards. Continuous
improvements to procedures and protocols undertaken by the
halon reclamation industry have been incorporated into
requirements used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
and the European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) to insure
compliance with ISO 7201 and ASTM D5632 standards. The
results of which is a stringent quality control protocol designed to
insure all industry standards are met. This includes but is not
limited to independent laboratory testing by AHRI certified
laboratories to verify compliance. The industry works with
countries worldwide to address compliance with ISO-7201 and
ASTM D 5632 Type I & II standards for Halon.
Although efforts to find effective replacements for halon used in
the aerospace industry are, in some cases, promising much work
still remains as stakeholders work against diminishing supplies
and a stringent timeline for a solution.
Defense:
The military continue to confront the challenges faced by other
critical users of halon. “Military organisations have faced, and
continue to face, significant difficulties in the replacement of
halons in a large variety of applications. They have been
instrumental in the development of alternative materials and the
assessment of their
performance, particularly for
new equipment applications.
Where possible, existing military
applications have been
converted to suitable
alternatives. In other cases,
improved procedures, changing
requirements and alternative fire
protection strategies have
allowed the removal of halon
without replacement by an
in-kind alternative. Despite this
progress, there are, still, military
applications that can, and
should, be converted.
There remains, however, a
significant number of
applications for which halon is
currently, and for the
foreseeable future, the only
feasible option. These are
mainly in applications where
personnel safety, operational
capability, weight, space and
fire extinguishing performance
are the dominant factors.
Significant resources are being
devoted to finding a long-term solution to these problem areas.
Until alternatives can be found, these applications are being
supported by the responsible management of halon stocks, often
held at central locations, and often obtained by the recycling of
materials recovered from non-critical applications. Because of
this careful management, there is not considered to be any need
for future Essential Use Production Exemptions for halons 1211
or 1301 for the military sector.”[3]
Petrochemical Industry:
In most cases, existing facilities were designed and
constructed with halon fixed systems as an integral part of the
safety system design as well as the physical layout of the facility.
As with civil aviation, after extensive research, it has been
determined that in some cases replacing such systems with
currently available alternatives is economically impossible, may
not offer equivalent protection, and continuation of research is
unlikely to lead to an economic solution. Thus these facilities will
likely rely on existing halon banks for their operating lifetimes.
However, in order to reduce the impact on the halon banks,
measures have been taken to reduce emissions.[4]
With a life cycle of equipment requiring halon lasting 50 or
more years going forward, sustainability becomes a major
concern.
Recovery efforts and future sustainability:
This is, in part, a simple story of supply and demand. Since
production of halon for fire protection was halted in 1994,
recoverable halon has continued to diminish as the demand for
halon for critical use has continued to expand.
Requirement Lavatory Handheld Propulsion Cargo
Auxiliary
Power Unit
New Design
(New Type
Certification
Application)
European
Commission
Cutoff Date
2011 2014 2014 2018
International
Civil Aviation
Organisation
2011 2016 2014 N/A
Current
Production
European
Commission
End Date*
2020 2025 2040 2040
International
Civil Aviation
Organisation
2011 2016 N/A N/A
“MILITARY ORGANISATIONS HAVE FACED, AND CONTINUE TO FACE,
SIGNIFICANT DIFFICULTIES IN THE REPLACEMENT OF HALONS...”

3. 046 IFB www.firebuyer.com
an essential use exemption for production of new halon due to
the regulatory and stakeholder approvals required.
It should be noted that
“Halon 1301 (CF3Br)
continues to be produced
and is permitted as a
controlled substance under
the Montreal Protocol
(Articles 1 and 7, and
Decisions 1/12B and VII/30).
China and France produce
halon 1301 for use as a
feedstock in the
manufacture of the pesticide
Fipronil. Production in
France remains steady at
approximately 400 MT per
annum. Production in China
has varied over the past six
years but is believed to be
steady now. However, a
current production figure
was not available to the
HTOC.”[7]
As feedstock, Halon 1301 has been produced for this purpose
in increasing amounts over the last 20 plus years. [8] [9]
Estimated Number of Aircraft in Service 2005 to 2020
(Excludes Russian-built Aircraft)
The global fleet is projected to grow over 60% in the period
2005 to 2020. The total quantity of halon 1301 installed in civil
aircraft is estimated to increase from about
1,800 MT in 2005 to over 2,500 MT in 2020, or
a greater than 40% increase. [5]The recoverable
halons from countries allowing exports of halon
have diminished and will continue to do so. The
total global inventory of halon 1301 (excluding
Japan due to prohibition of exportation of halon)
is expected to drop by 28% between 2014-2020
from 19,767 metric ton to 14,194 metric tons. [6]
As supplies shrink in developed countries, the
focus of recovery is increasing in developing
countries, which are many times plagued with
civil or political unrest as well as technical or
bureaucratic obstacles. This impedes the
recovery process, increasing the cost of
recovery.
Finally, imports from developing countries
exhibit a higher rate of contamination. Additional
processing and more sophisticated equipment
are required in order to return the halon to ASTM
D 5632 Type 1 or 2 or ISO- 7201-1 standards.
The natural effects of supply and demand
start to come into effect as supplies shrink and
demand increases, shortages may develop.
Potential production of new halon if recovery
falls short
If no alternative is found, could ‘new’ halon be
produced for critical use needs? Although the
production capabilities exist, the likelihood is
remote that the Montreal Protocol would issue
Halon 1301
Feedstock
Data (Year)
1990 2000 2010 2011
New Halon
Production
(Tonnes)
0 400 900 1,270
Year 2005 2010 2015 2020
Mainline
Passenger
Aircraft
13,784 16,078 19,172 22,265
Regional
Passenger
Aircraft
3,927 4,527 5,398 6,269
Mainline
Freighter Aircraft
960 896 1,011 1,126
Regional
Freighter Aircraft
1,007 970 1,095 1,220
Total Passenger
and Freighter
Aircraft
19,678 22,471 26,676 30,880
SUSTAINABILITY

4. of halon for critical use
• Reducing or eliminating restriction of halon exports from
those countries that have restricted exports.
• This would not only increase the supply of these agents
where they are needed the most but also improve
verification of compliance with ISO 7201 and ASTM D
5632 Type I & II standards.
In order to meet this upcoming challenge, we would encourage
the Montreal Protocol to support a policy to member countries
that streamlines the process of exporting used halon for critical
use. This will greatly enhance the sustainability of this critically
needed fire suppressant. We would encourage all critical use
stakeholders to actively support improvements to the halon
export processes as sustainability becomes an ever increasing
challenge.
www.remtec.net
The halon feedstock data on the previous page was compiled
from the Ozone Secretariat and reported by Parties under Article
7. The report indicates that from 2010 to 2011 alone, production
increased from 900 MT to over 1,270 MT, a 41% increase. The
production of Halon 1301 as a feedstock is on-going and
increasing although it is strictly prohibited for use other than as a
feedstock under the Montreal Protocol. In the absence of a
special use exemption, significant consequences are attached to
any misallocation of these feedstocks.
Summary:
As supplies continue to shrink and demand increases,
shortages will be inevitably occur if alternatives are not found or
an essential use exemption for new production is not permitted.
Sustainability of halon for critical use can be extended and
recovery increased through:
• More efficiency in the export/import permitting processes
References:
[1] HTOC-Assessment-Report-2010; page 62
[2] Aviation Rulemaking Committee Charter;
July 2, 2013; Halon Replacement Aviation
Rulemaking Committee; page 1
* Last year UL agreed to extend the existing
listings under 1093 until 2025. So even
though the standard is withdrawn,
organisations can continue to get a UL listing
on existing designs of Halon 1211
extinguishers.
[3] Eliminating Dependency on Halons;
Military Applications and Halon Management;
page 30
[4] Halon Technical Options Committee
(HTOC) Assessment Report-2010; page 59
[5] Halon Technical Options Committee
(HTOC) Assessment Report-2010; page 59
[6] Halon Technical Options Committee
(HTOC) Assessment Report-2010; table 8.2-
page 106
[7] UNEP; Report of the Technology and
Economic Assessment Panel; May 2012;
Section 5.2
[8] ODS Information Paper on Feedstock
Uses of Ozone-Depleting Substances
December 2012; Table 6-page 19
Data source: Ozone Secretariat (2012)
Information provided by parties in
accordance with Article 7 of the Montreal
Protocol, UNEP/OzL.Pro.24/3, Annex XIII.
These data represent feedstock use,
calculated by the Ozone Secretariat as the
sum of reported feedstock production and
feedstock imports within each Party;
[9] ODS Information Paper on Feedstock
Uses of Ozone-Depleting Substances
December 2012; Touchdown Consulting;
Authors: Melanie Miller MSc PhD and Tom
Batchelor, MSc PhD; Table 7-page 21
SUSTAINABILITY
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