Linde building rail siding at its air separation unit under construction in La Porte, Texas

- Will accommodate shipment of liquid argon to customers

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Oct 22, 2014, 07:00 ET

MURRAY HILL, N.J. and NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Rail construction is well underway at the air separation unit (ASU) Linde North America is building in La Porte, Texas. The ASU, which separates air into its major component – oxygen, nitrogen and argon -- is part of more than $250 million Linde is investing to build a large, state-of-the art air separation unit, a new gasification train and supporting equipment and facilities in La Porte.

"The rail siding will connect with the Union Pacific rail line to facilitate shipment of liquid argon in cryogenic tankers to serve customers in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest – and points in between," said Jai Jaishankar, senior project manager-Project Execution. "The major users of the product are semiconductor manufacturers, steel producers and welding distributors to make shielding gases."

The ASU, slated to be operational in December this year, will be the largest operated by Linde in the U.S. Linde is also adding a new gasification unit and supporting modifications to the world's largest gas-based partial oxidation complex for the production of syngas products for petrochemicals. For more details on Linde's investment in Texas, visit Houston.lindeus.com

The oxygen and nitrogen produced by the new ASU will supply the gasification assets at the La Porte site. The new gasifier will convert natural gas into syngas which will be processed into constituent products such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide which are used to produce methanol, downstream chemicals and cleaner transportation fuels. The syngas products will be shipped by pipeline to a key customer. Linde also owns and operates two additional large, partial oxidation facilities that manufacture syngas products.

The plant will also produce liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon to serve the rapidly growing merchant markets in and around the Houston Ship Channel and beyond.

Linde North America is a member of The Linde Group. In the 2013 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of USD 23.1 bn (EUR 16.655 bn), making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 63,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com

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SOURCE Linde North America