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