Airgas to Build Liquid CO2 Plant at First United Ethanol Complex

Industrial gases supplier Airgas will build a new 450-ton-per-day liquid CO2 plant at the First United Ethanol complex in Camilla, Georgia. Airgas has entered into a 15-year agreement with First United, which will supply the feedstock of raw CO2 for the facility.

First United Ethanol (FUEL) is building the first commercial ethanol plant in the southeast US and will begin operations in the fall, according to Airgas.

At the Airgas facility, the raw CO2 will be refined for food, commercial and beverage-grade use. The facility eventually will employ 15 to 20 people and will be operational by late 2009.

Peter McCausland, Airgas’s chairman and CEO, said: “Our CO2 and dry ice business posted 10% organic revenue growth last quarter, and has a great outlook. This plant will further enhance our position as an industry leader in CO2 production and distribution, and the capture of CO2 from a process plant to deploy in commercial use is an environmentally responsible method of production.”