Recovery vs Recycle vs Reclaim
Handle used refrigerant legally + cost-effectively

**Three levels of used-refrigerant handling** per EPA Section 608 — differ by post-processing purity: • **Recovery** — extract refrigerant from system into a recovery cylinder (DOT-39 or DOT-4BW) **without any cleaning**. Uses a recovery machine (Yellow Jacket / CPS / Inficon) pulling vacuum to 250-1,000 microns. **Output = refrigerant mixed with contaminants** — must be reclaimed before reuse • **Recycle** — on-site processing through filter-drier + oil separator + acid scavenger. **Partial cleaning** (reduces moisture, removes particulates, separates compressor oil) but **does NOT meet AHRI 700 spec**. **Same-system reuse only** — cannot resell or use in new systems • **Reclaim** — sent to an EPA-certified reclamation facility for multi-step distillation + chemical filtration. **Passes every AHRI 700 spec metric** (purity ≥ 99.5% + moisture ≤ 10 ppm + acid ≤ 1 ppm + non-condensables ≤ 1.5%). **Equivalent to virgin refrigerant** — can be resold and used in new systems **EPA + Thai TIS 3008 rules:** Every refrigerant removed from old equipment must be recovered (venting to atmosphere = illegal) → can recycle for same-system reuse, but resale/new-system use requires reclaim

**AHRI Standard 700 (2019)** = Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute spec for refrigerant purity. **Sets minimum quality** allowed on market: • **Air (non-condensables)** ≤ 1.5% by volume (in vapor phase at 25°C) • **Water** ≤ 10 ppm by mass • **Acidity** ≤ 1 ppm by mass (as HCl equivalent) • **High-boiling residue** ≤ 0.01% by volume • **Particulates** — none visible at 50× magnification • **Other refrigerants (cross-contamination)** ≤ 0.5% by mass **Enforcement:** EPA Section 608 (USA) uses AHRI 700 as the benchmark for reclaim certification. Thailand's TIS 3008-2562 (HFC quality spec) cites every AHRI 700 parameter. **If refrigerant fails AHRI 700** → compressor damage, lower efficiency, system trips, warranty void

**Savings 30-60% per kg** depending on refrigerant type and current market — refrigerant is a world-market commodity, so we quote live per deal rather than publish a price table: • **R-22** widest gap, **~45-50%** (virgin keeps tightening under phase-out) • **R-410A** **~35-40%** • **R-134a** **~30-38%** • **R-32** — **reclaimed market still limited** (R-32 newer, virgin supply still ample) **ROI for 1,000-ton cooling factory (~500 kg refrigerant charge):** • Service maintenance over 5 yrs = ~150 kg cumulative removed • Using reclaim instead of virgin cuts roughly a third off that refrigerant spend • Reclaim is charged per kg by the service provider / licensed plant (pickup → EPA-cert lab → return) — **Sahawatthanakit does not take on that work**; we supply the refrigerant that goes back in **Bonus benefits:** lower carbon footprint + ESG/CSR reporting + reduced virgin demand (matters to ESG investors 2025+)

**Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol (2019)** — Thailand signed onto HFC phase-down (R-410A, R-134a, R-32): • **2024:** baseline ~125 million tons CO₂e/yr • **2029:** reduce 10% from baseline (-12.5 MtCO₂e) • **2035:** reduce 30% • **2040:** reduce 50% • **2045:** reduce 80% **TIS 3008-2562 (Thai HFC quality standard for air conditioning)** mandates: 1. Every HFC sold in Thailand must have a COA per AHRI 700 — off-spec sales prohibited 2. **Reclamation infrastructure** — Department of Industrial Works (DIW) licenses registered reclamation facilities (~12 active in Thailand as of May 2026) 3. **Reporting** — facilities using HFC > 200 kg/yr must report annual usage to DIW + Pollution Control Department **Price impact:** Kigali phase-down drives HFC prices up 15-30% every 2-3 years (quota cuts) → **reclaim ROI improves yearly**. HFOs (R-1234yf, R-1234ze) cost 4-6× more but aren't covered by Kigali → premium choice for new systems

**Straight answer: no — we do not perform recovery or reclaim ourselves.** Sahawatthanakit is a **refrigerant distributor**, not an on-site service contractor or a reclamation plant. • **What we do:** supply refrigerant for the recharge after service/retrofit (15 grades) · MSDS/COA with every lot · **advise the retrofit path from the manufacturers' own documents** (e.g. R-12/R-500 → R-134a requires POE oil + new filter drier per DuPont ART-37; R-502 → R-404A per Copeland AEB 94-15) • **What needs someone else:** on-site recovery requires a technician with recovery equipment and DOT-39 cylinders · reclaiming to AHRI 700 spec must go through a licensed facility — we do not warrant that work on anyone's behalf • **Why we draw the line:** venting refrigerant is illegal, and topping up with a different grade while skipping the retrofit steps is what destroys compressors — so we give you the correct procedure rather than take on work we don't do **Quote request:** tell us the grade + quantity (kg/cylinder) + delivery point → we send live pricing, availability and MSDS.