Triggered by ExxonMobil’s large need for oxygen at their 900 ktH2/y blue hydrogen production project in Baytown, Texas, Air Liquide has been selected to establish a low-carbon industrial gas platform. Under the agreement, hydrogen produced by the Baytown facility will be transported through Air Liquide’s existing pipeline network along the US Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana.

Pending the project’s final investment decision, Air Liquide would build, own and operate four new Large Modular Air (LMA) separation units at ExxonMobil’s site in Baytown, in order to produce and supply:

•         9,000 metric tonnes per day of oxygen for the production of low-carbon hydrogen
•         and up to 6,500 metric tonnes per day of nitrogen to support the synthesis of low-carbon hydrogen into low-carbon ammonia as a source of low-carbon energy for the export market.

These LMA plants provide a step-change both in terms of production output and energy consumption optimisation, as they use 25% less electricity to make each tonne of oxygen. In addition, these LMA plants are planned to be primarily powered by renewable and low-carbon electricity, further reducing the carbon footprint of the project. The investment decision for Air Liquide’s Baytown Low Carbon Platform will be linked to the development of ExxonMobil’s low-carbon hydrogen project which is subject to supportive government policy, necessary regulatory permits and market conditions. ExxonMobil’s project is expected to capture and permanently store 7 MtCO2/year.

Further background reading is available on air separation plant in a recent report from the International Centre for Sustainable Carbon.