Ineos awards contract to Air Products

Ineos New Planet BioEnergy, a joint venture between Ineos Bio and New Planet Energy, has made further developments at its cellulosic ethanol facility in Valero Beach, Florida, US.

The company has awarded a contract to Air Products, a provider of gas-related equipment and services, to supply onsite oxygen, compressed dry air and nitrogen to the project.

Air Products will supply gaseous oxygen from a Prism VSA oxygen generation system, as well as bulk liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen delivered to the site by trucks.

Many advanced biofuel projects required industrial gases, particularly oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. In this area, oxygen is used primarily for gasification, hydrogen for oil upgrading to final biofuel products, and nitrogen as an inert and fluidising medium. Global market demand for biofuels is likely to support significant growth in industrial gas use over the next decade.

'Over the past few years, Air Products has seen growing interest in industrial gas supply for advanced biofuels projects,' says VP, North America Merchant Gases at Air Products, Nelson Squires.