Sustainability and CO2 International Experts Mark 10th Year of Air Products' MATGAS R&D Joint Venture in Barcelona

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Jun 02, 2011, 01:00 ET

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its joint venture MATGAS, a strategic alliance between Carburos Metalicos -- part of the Air Products Group, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

To mark the event, MATGAS held an International Symposium on Energy, Sustainability and the Environment on June 1st and 2nd at its facilities in Barcelona. Over the two days, world-leading experts came together to unveil significant findings and explore future research prospects and challenges. Speakers included MATGAS director, Dr. Lourdes F. Vega; Professor Robert Armstrong of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; Professor Michele Aresta of the University of Bari in Italy; and Professor Andreas Zuttel of the EMPA in Zurich, Switzerland.

MATGAS sets out to establish a centre of excellence in material science and gas applications by combining the strengths of industrial, academic and government institutions for the benefit of the founding partners and society.

In 10 years, MATGAS has set global benchmarks in the study and development of technologies focused on greener energy solutions, including CO2 capture and application, water treatment and alternative energies such as hydrogen, by combining modeling and experimental approaches.

"One element of the work we do at MATGAS is the utilization of life cycle assessment (LCA) tools which help us to quantify the environmental 'footprint' of products and technologies," explained Dr. Lourdes Vega, MATGAS director. "This helps Air Products and its MATGAS partners to understand the impacts and benefits of key technologies and thus build on that knowledge in their respective R&D activities."

Last year Air Products launched its Sustainable Technologies Center (STC) located at the company's headquarters in Allentown (Pennsylvania, USA). Leveraging the experience of MATGAS, the centre is focused on conducting life cycle assessments (LCAs) of current and future product offerings.

Monty Alger, Air Products Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and vice president of R&D said, "MATGAS provides a unique research and development platform which enables us to join with academic and public sector partners to address significant challenges in the area of sustainability. As a company, we are committed to developing solutions that not only help solve our customers' sustainability challenges while driving growth, but also help to address the pressing environment challenges faced by us all."

Air Products leads the way in a significant number of projects that have sustainability benefits:

Hydrogen Fuel: Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development. Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50 patents in hydrogen dispensing technology. Air Products provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied pressures. Hydrogen for these stations can be delivered to a site via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion, or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind driven.
Carbon Capture and Storage: Air Products is currently working on several CCS projects around the world for the power market. These projects include:
- Air Products' proprietary carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, purification and compression system at Vattenfall AB's research and development facility in Schwarze Pumpe, Germany is onstream and performing a key role in the world's premier demonstration of oxyfuel carbon capture. Vattenfall, one of Europe's leading energy companies, held an inaugural ceremony in May 2011 at the facility which hosts what is viewed globally as the preeminent CO2 oxyfuel project. Air Products' technology is focusing specifically on the purification and compression of oxyfuel combustion flue gas during the scheduled three-year demonstration project.
- Air Products will design, construct and operate a state-of-the-art system to capture CO2 from its two steam methane reformers (SMR) located at a refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, United States. The CO2 removal technology will be retrofitted to the SMRs, which produce hydrogen to assist in the making of cleaner burning transportation fuels by refinery customers on Air Products' Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline network. Approximately one million tons of CO2 annually will be recovered, purified by Air Products, and delivered by Air Products via a pipeline for injection into enhanced oil recovery projects in Texas.
- Working with Shanxi International Energy Group Co., Ltd (SIEG) to perform a feasibility study and reference plant design on its proprietary oxyfuel carbon dioxide (CO2) purification technology for potential installation at SIEG's 350 MW Oxyfuel Electrical Generation Demonstration Project.
- In collaboration with the Alberta Energy Research Institute in Canada, a study focusing on advanced CO2 capture technology for use with gasification.
- In cooperation with the DOE, Air Products designed and constructed a CO2 purification system in support of an oxyfuel technology development project at a boiler simulation facility in Windsor, Connecticut, United States.
- Air Products demonstrated oxyfuel sour compression technology in experimental work carried out by Imperial College London with flue gas from a 160 kilowatt coal-fired combustion installation at Doosan Power Systems' facility in Renfrew, Scotland, as part of the Oxycoal-UK Project.

About MATGAS

MATGAS, centre of excellence in CO2 and sustainability, is a group born from a strategic alliance between Carburos Metalicos -- part of the Air Products Group, the Spanish National Research Council, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Based on the UAB campus, MATGAS is a pioneering centre in the sustainable use of energy sources, reducing emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases and developing new technologies to sequester, convert and use CO2. It also works on issues relating to hydrogen and other sources of sustainable energy, as well as water treatment, food preservation and life cycle simulation, modelling and analysis. For more information on MATGAS, visit www.matgas.org.

About Air Products

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment. In fiscal 2010, Air Products had revenues of $9 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,300 employees around the globe. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Photos and video footage from the event are available in Air Products' online News Center at www.airproducts.com/company/news-center/2011/0602-10th-anniversary-of-air-products-matgas-research-and-development-joint-venture-in-barcelona.aspx.

SOURCE Air Products