UNIVERSAL Halon Treatment Factory (UHTF) has embarked on a marketing blitz of its environmental expertise in the recovery and recycling of halon, which is being phased out of production across the world.

Established in 1994 in Dammam’s Second industrial City, the pioneering factory also specialises in the design, manufacture, supply and installation of a wide range of fire protection systems and accessories.
“Halon is very effective in putting out fires rapidly and halon 1301 has properties that even today cannot be matched by other compounds in several applications,” explains a company spokesman. “However, because it depletes the ozone layer, production of halon 1301 has been halted in most countries, including Saudi Arabia, in compliance with the Geneva Convention and Montreal Protocol.
He continues: “Thus, by recovering and recycling existing halons under an environmentally-sound process, we can still use it for critical applications, while minimising emissions of this ozone-depleting gas. Halon banks too, help promote the use of recycled halons while preventing new production of halon in developed countries.”
To this end, UHTF possesses state-of-the-art technology for the recovery, recycling and reclamation of halons 130I, 1211, and FM-200, he says.
Meanwhile, UHTF is also marketing 3M’s Novec 1230 fire protection fluid, which is said to represent a breakthrough in halon replacement, combining high extinguishing efficiency with excellent environmental, health and safety properties.
“With zero ozone depletion potential, a five-day atmospheric lifetime and a global warming potential of one, Novec 1230 offers a long-term, sustainable alternative to halons, HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and PFCs (perfluorocarbons),” the spokesman says. “Because of its wide margin of safety, Novec 1230 is ideal for fire protection in specially hazardous applications.”
UHTF’s fire-fighting systems conform to National Fire Protection Association (NPFA) and Loss Prevention Council (LPC) standards and include  automatic sprinklers, medium and high-velocity water sprays, hydrant and hose reel systems, foam systems, fire alarms, halon/carbon dioxide/GGX20 (FM200) extinguishing systems,  Novec 1230 systems, and fire extinguishers.