MMAC and the Environment
As the global AC market prepares to double in size between 2015 and 2025, the importance of addressing the environmental impacts of the industry becomes all the more urgent.
The energy efficiency and environmental benefits of evaporative cooling have been known for generations, but were restricted to arid climates. CCI’s molecular membrane air conditioner (MMAC) brings those benefits to humid climates by efficiently pulling humidity out of humid air.
With no refrigerants, more than better efficiency than conventional air conditioners, and with the only by-product being pure water, CCI has developed a more sustainable method for air conditioning.
Refrigerant Free
Modern air conditioners use refrigerants which are damaging to the environment and expensive. Early refrigerants were made from inert chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which, while effective, were shown to be potent greenhouse gasses, and major contributors to ozone depletion. Pressure to reduce depletion of the ozone layer have contributed to a trend of decreased use of CFCs and HCFCs, but these chemicals are being replaced with Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and other chemical groups which have often been found to have global warming potentials over a thousand times that of carbon dioxide. Additionally, some refrigerants are toxic, and/or highly flammable.
Molecular Membrane Air Conditioners (MMAC) under development by CCI uses zero refrigerants, which is great news for the environment.
Energy Efficient
In the summertime, the peak demand on the power grid in certain regions can almost double due to increase usage of A/C. With better energy efficiency than standard air conditioning, MMAC units can greatly reduce the energy impact of HVAC. That means burning less fuels, reducing environmental pollution and paying less for energy.
Pure Water By-Product
Operating an MMAC unit to cool a typical home on a humid day can actually be expected to produce upwards of 50 gallons of water in one day, as the only by-product! This ultra-pure water can be used for a variety of purposes, such reducing water use by returning the generated water to the evaporative cooling section. Running MMAC units for commercial and industrial applications such as large data centers can yield even greater quantities of water to be reused.