Translated from Spanish Permanent Mission of Mexico KEN01419/670.1/09 The Permanent Mission of Mexico cordially greets the Ozone Secretariat and has the honour to refer to the communication sent to this Department by Mr. Marco González. Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, in which he requests the information referred to in Article 9 of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, in respect of research, development and information exchange regarding technology to reduce emissions of ozone-depleting substances. Enclosed please find a report on those activities carried out in the past two years, prepared by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) with the help of the Air Quality Task Force and the Registry of Emissions and Transfer of Contaminants (RETC), in order to comply with decision XX/13 of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol. This Permanent Mission takes the opportunity to reiterate to the Ozone Secretariat the assurances of its highest consideration. Nairobi, 27 July 2009 (Signed and sealed) Embassy of Mexico in Kenya United Nations Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat K0952704 040909
Information on compliance with Article 9 of the Montreal Protocol in respect of research, development, sensitization of the general public and information exchange regarding substances controlled by the Protocol. SEMARNAT, with the help of the General Directorate of Air Quality Management and Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry (DGGCARETC) and the Ozone Unit, undertook the following training activities, that included the dissemination of ODS handling technologies, public sensitization and exchange of information on the adoption of alternatives to the use of such controlled substances. Chlorofluorocarbons. The Ozone Unit carried out the following training courses: 1. Training courses for trainers in Good practices in refrigeration systems and air conditioning A total of 6 courses were held in D.F: Mexico City, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Leôn, Guanajuato, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Gômez Palacio, Durango y Leôn, Guanajuato. The courses were held between June 2006 and December 2007. The manual entitled Good practices in refrigeration systems and air conditioning was prepared and edited. It contains the topics covered by the courses and 7,000 copies were printed. A total of 112 persons from 22 public education institutions with refrigeration and air conditioning in their curriculum were trained as instructors in good practices in refrigeration systems and air conditioning: 2 from IPN (ESIME Azcapotzalco and ESIME Culhuacán); 3 technological institutes (Leôn,Tapachula and Minatitlán); 7 Mar technological study centres (DGECYTM-SEP); 9 CETIS and CBTIS (DGETI-SEP); the Autonomous University of Baja California. The laboratories of each college were given the SEMARNAT-ONUDI materials and tools so that in each campus all the refrigeration and air conditioning technicians and students might follow the courses on good practices in refrigeration systems and air conditioning. With these materials and trained instructors, the 22 colleges are undertaking the National technician training programme in good practices in refrigeration systems and air conditioning. The diagram below shows the location of the 22 campuses: AUTONOMOUS UNIV. OF B.C. CET MAR NO. 15 LOCATION OF CAMPUSES TECHNICAL COURSES IN REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING CETIS 129 CIUDAD JUAREZ CETIS 98 OJINAGA CET MAR NO. 3 GUAYMAS CET MAR LA PAZ BCS CETIS 4 GOMEZ PALACIO CAMPUSES IN D.F. ESIME AZCAPOTZALCO IPN ESIME CULHUACAN IPN CETIS XOCHILCO CETIS IZTAPALAPA CET MAR NO.8 MAZATLAN CET MAR NO. 20 TUXPAN CETIS 14 ZAPOPAN TECH. DE LEON CET MAR NO.15 LAZARO CARDENAS TECH. DE MULTIFLAN CETIS 120 MERIDA CET MAR NO. 5 SALINA CRUZ TECH. DE IMPACHULA
From September 2006 to date, 240 courses have been held and approximately 4,900 technicians have been trained. A database of technicians trained in good practices in refrigeration and air conditioning has also been set up, which includes all the technicians who have completed the course. The database can be accessed on our web page: http: //sissao.semarnat.gob.mx. Some 2,100 sets of materials and tools to highlight the use of good practices during the repair and maintenance of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment have been acquired, These are being distributed free to outstanding trained technicians, and to date some 1,250 of them have received them. 2. National technician training programme in good practices in refrigeration systems and air conditioning The national training programme is already under way and the 2010 target is to train a total number of 6,000 technicians in refrigeration and air conditioning. The courses are being held in 22 colleges that are fully equipped and have trained instructors. 3. Programme for recovery and recycling of refrigerants As part of the activities envisaged in the National Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Elimination Plan, SEMARNAT set up and commissioned 14 recycling centres for refrigerant gases (CRR) in June 2008, in coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and 14 companies working in the area of refrigeration and air conditioning. These recycling centres are located in strategic cities with the highest consumption of refrigerant gases containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). They are located in Acapulco, Guerrero; Mexico City; Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; Culiacán, Sinaloa; Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz; Hermosilla, Sonora; Mérida, Yucatán; Mexicali B.C.; Monterrey, Nuevo León; Oaxaca, Oaxaca; San Juan del Río, Querétaro; San Luis Potosí S.L.P.; Villahermosa, Tabasco; and Zapopan, Jalisco. (A map showing each of the 14 CRRs is annexed herewith). Data and location of the 14 CRRs can be found on the web site http://sissao.semarnat.gob.mx The 14 recycling centres have the capacity for recovering and recycling about 1,300 tons of refrigerants a year, the equivalent of emissions of about 4,316,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Their activity contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases and to the protection of the ozone layer. These centres meet the servicing demands of all the refrigeration and air conditioning technicians currently applying good practices, and the refrigerants are being recovered for later recycling and use. They receive and recycle the refrigerant gases presently being consumed in the country (refrigerant gases: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). All of the refrigerant recycling operations carried out in these centres are recorded and reported to SEMARNAT, under SISSAO, the system for the follow-up and monitoring of ozone-depleting substances. (See web site http://sissao.semarnat.gob.mx ).
NETWORK OF REFRIGERANT RECYCLING CENTRES IN MEXICO CRR MEXICALI CRR CHIHUAHUA CRR HERMOSILLA CRR MONTERREY CRR CULIACAN CRR ZAPOPAN CRR SAN LUIS POTOSI CRR SAN JUAN DEL RIO CRR MERIDA CRR EMILIANO ZAPATA CRR DISTRITO FEDERAL CRR VILLAHERMOSA CRR ACAPULCO CRR OAXACA 4. National methyl bromide elimination programme Methyl bromide is a substance used for the spraying of agricultural soils, grain and flour stores, for packaging and for quarantine and pre-shipment systems. It is very efficient against pests, but because of the harm it causes to the ozone layer, the international community is promoting its substitution by the use of alternative substances and practices in the spraying of soils and storage facilities. The development of the project entitled Project for training and technical assistance to reduce the consumption of methyl bromide in the agricultural and storage sectors includes publicity campaigns, and training and technical assistance activities. Following expert technical advice, 20 projects have been launched involving the application of chemical and non-chemical alternatives for crops of tomatoes, melons, watermelons, strawberries and flowers. The results have generally been positive, especially in projects involving the use of grafts. Grafting is used for tomatoes, melons, and watermelons, and the results indicate that this technique may be used for cucurbitaceous and solanaceous crops, providing yields per hectare greater than those resulting from the use of methyl bromide. For the storage sector, 4 workshops were held to provide publicity and training on alternatives to the use of methyl bromide. Training workshops for the storage sector Location Number of Date participants Monterrey, Nuevo León 45 8 December 2006 Ciudad Obregón, Sonora 75 26 January 2007 Tultitlán, Mexico State 90 23 February 2007 Guadalajara, Jalisco 60 28 March 2007 Total 270
The holding of the workshops saw the participation of a total of 270 persons from the storage sector in Mexico (company technicians and sprayers). The attendance included recognized local and international experts in the field of methyl bromide alternatives. Technical assistance includes the development of pilot projects on the alternatives to the use of methyl bromide, in order to show users of this substance in both sectors the method of application and their utility. The pilot projects enjoy the advice of international experts and the direct follow-up of local specialists. In these projects, priority is given to those methyl bromide alternatives, chemical or non-chemical, that have been proved to be viable, technically, environmentally and financially. Encouragement is given to companies in this country that offer treatments that are alternatives to methyl bromide, so as to integrate the projects into all the sectors involved. There are 27 pilot projects in the agricultural sector: Location Crop Number of Starting date Completion date projects Vicente Guerrero, Baja California Tomato 1 June 2007 April 2008 San Quintín, Baja California Tomato 2 June 2007 April 2008 Ciudad Obregón, Sonora Tomato 1 July 2007 April 2008 Colima, Colima Melon 1 August 2007 May 2008 Guaymas, Sonora Melon 1 December 2007 May 2008 Colima, Colima Watermelon 1 August 2007 May 2008 Guaymas, Sonora Watermelon 1 December 2007 May 2008 Tenancingo, Mexico State Cut flowers 1 July 2007 May 2008 Zumpahuacán, Mexico State Cut flowers 1 July 2007 May 2008 Villa Guerrero, Mexico State Cut flowers 1 July 2007 May 2008 Xochimilco, Distrito Federal Flower nursery 5 October 2007 May 2008 Tangancícuaro, Michoacán Strawberry 2 August 2007 May 2008 Vicente Guerrero, Baja California Strawberry 1 September 2007 May 2008 San Quintín, Baja California Strawberry 2 October 2007 May 2008 Total 21 For the storage sector, 10 pilot projects were launched in companies from the storage sector (in Monterrey, Ciudad Obregón, Guadalajara, Valle de Mexico and Culiacán), with positive results showing the viability of the alternatives used as substitutes for methyl bromide. A database of methyl bromide consumption in Mexico was prepared for the agricultural, storage and quarantine sectors. Information was updated on users, locations, amounts of consumption, formulations used and sectors in which methyl bromide is used. By 2015, Mexico must eliminate the use of methyl bromide, and, for that reason, approval was given, at the 54 th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Montreal Protocol, to the National plan for the elimination of methyl bromide consumption for the spraying of soils and storage facilities in Mexico, This plan envisages a gradual timetable of elimination. For the agricultural sector those crops for which there are proven alternatives will be dealt with first, and, later, consideration will be given to those crops and regions that present most difficulties in the application of alternatives. The SEMARNAT project, therefore, will, from the first semester of 2008, be geared to providing financial support to methyl bromide users that adopt some of the existing alternatives and are committed to totally eliminating the use of methyl bromide altogether.
The investment phase will constitute a project whereby Mexico will try, as soon as possible, to completely eliminate the use of methyl bromide in the country, by means of a phased programme. The project envisages that if, by 2014, some of the sectors using methyl bromide do not still have viable alternatives (technically, environmentally or financially), then a critical use exemption will be requested of the Montreal Protocol. The ultimate target of the project is the definitive elimination of the consumption of 1,491 metric tons (895 ODP) of methyl bromide in Mexico by the end of the year 2013. The elimination will begin in 2009 and will be undertaken gradually. In the case of crop soils, the target is 1,342 metric tons of methyl bromide in Mexico, to be finalized in 2013. 5. Programme for the elimination of the use of carbon tetrachloride as a processing agent in a chlor-alkali factory located in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. The project seeks to increase the efficiency of the liquefaction of chlorine by installing an up-to-date system that allows for operation at lower temperatures, so that the amount of chlorine in the exhaust gases is minimal. In this way the use of carbon tetrachloride as a processing agent for the recovery of chlorine eliminated. The traces of chlorine in the exhaust gases go to a gas washer which uses soda (NaOH) to form sodium hypochlorite. The solution of sodium hypochlorite then goes to a decomposition system in which the hypochlorite is converted into sodium chloride and chlorate (3NaOCl = 2NaCl + NaClO 3 ) (Chlorate). The project of eliminating carbon tetrachloride (CTC) as a processing agent in the chlorine factory is of great importance, as it represents the elimination of the use of this ODS in Mexico and compliance with the Montreal Protocol in 2009. The project envisages the design of a liquefaction system coupled to a system of absorption and decomposition of hypochlorite. This system is considered to be state-of-the-art in this field. It not only eliminates the use of CTC but also improves energy efficiency, in that it avoids the use of refrigeration systems with CFCS (now obsolete). 6. Elimination of the use of carbon tetrachloride in laboratory analysis techniques. At the end of February a workshop was held on the elimination of the use of carbon tetrachloride in laboratory analysis, which was attended by some 50 persons representing testing laboratories, chemical reagent distributors, suppliers of solvents to the pharmaceutical-chemical industry and laundries. Also attending were representatives of the National Water Commission (CNA) and PROFEPA. In the workshop the solvent sector representatives and other users from the sector were briefed on the general functioning of the Montreal Protocol, the participation of Mexico in the Protocol and the situation of Mexico with regard to the elimination of the use of solvents, such as CTC, TCA, BCM and R-113. Analytic techniques and research protocols in which these solvents are used were discussed, as well as alternative methods for substituting them. The requirements of these substances for the exclusive use of laboratories were estimated. In general terms, the workshop covered the more relevant aspects of the elimination of ODS solvents in specific applications and alternative techniques to be used in their substitution.