Air Products Invests Over $70M in Manufacturing, Logistics Center

The $70 million M&L center investment from Air Products Membrane Solutions is driven by the increasing demand for biogas and hydrogen recovery applications, as well as customer requirements for nitrogen usage in the aerospace industry and cleaner fuels in the marine industry.

“We are excited to announce this investment to significantly expand the footprint and production capacity of our St. Louis manufacturing and logistics center. This expansion shows our commitment to continue to be a leader in the energy transition by creating innovative products for a safer, cleaner and more productive world,” said Dr. Erin Sorensen, General Manager, Air Products Membrane Solutions. “This expansion also highlights our ongoing commitment to the local community and our talented and motivated employees in the region. We are proud to continue to grow and expand our global manufacturing capabilities in the United States in St. Louis.”

The expanded manufacturing facility in Maryland Heights, near St. Louis, is expected to be in production by the end of 2025 and will add 30 new positions. The M&L expansion follows a $10 million investment in 2023 to raise production capacity at the current facility.

This month, the Membrane Solutions business released the PRISM GreenSep LNG membrane separator, which can be applied to bio-LNG production and increases yield, reduces operational expenses, and lowers energy consumption. The new membrane separator eliminates intermediate purification technologies, such as amine scrubbing and thermal swing adsorption, required to produce bio-LNG, which is liquefied biomethane derived from food, animal, or municipal waste.

“As a leading supplier of technology for the LNG industry, the PRISM GreenSep LNG membrane separator is an excellent addition to our catalogue of solutions for LNG producers,” said Sorensen. “This technology will deliver a higher LNG yield at a lower operational cost, while also furthering our common goal of building a safer, cleaner, more productive world.”

The Membrane Solutions segment develops hollow fiber membrane separators and systems for onsite gas generation. Its PRISM membrane separators contain thousands of polymeric hollow fibers that serve as a molecular filter to isolate gases into singular elements, including methane, nitrogen, and hydrogen. This product portfolio serves aerospace, offshore drilling, food and beverage, transportation, and defense.

The company will showcase the PRISM GreenSep LNG membrane separator at the BIOGAS AMERICAS conference in Savanah, GA. Rory Deledda, Biogas Product Manager at Air Products, will also host a session on the advantages of the technology for system designers at the conference.

In early May 2024, Air Products’ AP-DMR process and equipment, which was deployed at the Coral South floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) plant in Mozambique, Africa, passed its performance test and achieved LNG production above 3.4 million tons per year. The dual-mixed refrigerant LNG process maintains a high efficiency, reliable operation, and has a compact footprint. Its process efficiency, in combination with aeroderivative machinery, lowers the carbon intensity in comparison to other LNG processes in floating applications.

Air Products previously participated in this project in 2013 with conceptual work, which allowed for the recent selection and implementation of its AP-DMR LNG process technology and equipment. In terms of supplied equipment, the company provided two coil-wound main cryogenic heat exchangers (CWHEs)—one for precooling and one for liquefaction.