Carbon Dioxide Liquefaction

Carbon dioxide is consumed in many valuable applications such as carbonation of beverages, food preservation and chilling, cold chain management, transportation and water treatment. The British market is growing steadily and supply stability is critical for customer’s processes. To further enhance its supply infrastructure in the UK, Air Liquide, the European leader in the carbon dioxide market is investing in a new carbon dioxide recovery and liquefaction plant at the Wissington site of British Sugar.

The overall investment amounts to nearly €10 million.

The plant will be able to recover up to 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year coming from natural fermentation processes and is scheduled for commissioning in the summer of 2011. The bioethanol plant uses locally grown sugar beet as its primary feedstock and the recovered carbon dioxide will be purified and liquefied instead of being directly released into the atmosphere.

The investment adds to an existing plant in the North West of England and additional sources in North East England and in Scotland. Located in Norfolk, the plant is well positioned and offers good proximity to numerous customers located in the South and East of England. Sylvie Villepontoux, Managing Director for Air Liquide UK, commented: “We are very pleased to develop this partnership with British Sugar. This new investment together with a reliable manufacturer such as British Sugar, enables Air Liquide to strengthen its supply chain and meet the growing needs of its customers. It will also significantly improve the whole supply chain for the British market and continues Air Liquide UK’s policy of targeted investments in growing markets.”

Gino De Jaegher, Managing Director for British Sugar UK & Ireland, commented: “We are delighted to partner with Air Liquide UK on this exciting project. As leaders within our respective markets, we can guarantee the secure supply of carbon dioxide competitively whilst creating value for carbon dioxide for both businesses within the UK. Once again, British Sugar clearly demonstrates our ability to transform all of our raw materials into sustainable products for the future.”