Air Conditioning Without Polluting Gases?

The soft, waxy "solid refrigerant" being investigated in a UK laboratory may not look very exciting, but its unusual properties promise an air-conditioning revolution that could eliminate the need for greenhouse gases.

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The substance's temperature can vary by more than 50 degrees Celsius under pressure, and unlike the gases currently used in appliances solid refrigerants, it does not leak.

"They don't contribute to global warming, but also they are potentially more energy efficient," said Xavier Moya, a professor of materials physics at the University of Cambridge.

Approximately two billion air-conditioner units are in use worldwide, and their number is increasing as the planet warms. Between leaks and energy consumption, the emissions associated with them are also increasing each year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Moya has been studying the properties of these plastic crystals in his laboratory at the prestigious UK university for 15 years.

On his work surface, a large red and grey machine, topped with a cylinder, tests how the temperature of a substance changes under pressure.

The aim is to identify the best refrigerants among this class of materials, which are already used by the chemical industry and are relatively easy to obtain, even if the exact composition of the crystals eventually selected remains secret.