Oil & Gas petrochemicals
Essential at every stage
Arkema’s molecular sieves are used in many processes in refineries and petrochemical plants. Loaded in adsorption columns, they are used to dry and separate oil and petrochemical cuts, purify refining products and, importantly, dry natural gas, which must contain less than 0.1 ppm1 of water to be transported in liquid form. These sieves, which are regenerated after each operation (adsorbed molecules – water, sulfur molecules – are desorbed from the sieves so that they can restart the adsorption cycle), now have a life span of four to five years. Arkema is the world’s number two leader in this strategic sector. The Group consults with the major industrial sectors and continuously adapts its offering to meet the needs of each type of application. In 2017, the Honfleur site received a major investment (€57 million) to double its industrial capacity and produce sieves used for the separation of xylene isomers in the petrochemicals sector.
* ppm: parts per million
Construction, packaging
Where can you find “static” sieves?
Discreet but effective “static” molecular sieves are used in a wide variety of applications in the form of beads or powder. In pharmaceutical packaging, they protect drugs from moisture, and are found in aspirin tube caps, for example. In the formulation of polyurethane resins, which comprise between 2% and 5% of molecular sieve powder, they help to prevent the formation of air bubbles, and are used in floor coverings (gymnasiums, athletic tracks, car parks, etc.) and automotive parts (steering wheel, dashboard, etc.). Static sieves are also present in the form of beads or powder in double-glazed windows, where they adsorb residual moisture and prevent fogging during temperature changes. In this field, warm edge technology offering high thermal insulation (see p. 26), a rapidly growing market, incorporates a special “powder” sieve solution: 12,000 metric tons of static sieves were produced in 2020. Arkema occupies very strong positions in all these applications, including approximately 33% of the world market for polyurethane resin sieves and 75% of the European warm edge market.
Oxygen concentrators
Sieves to support breathing
The Nitroxy® range of sieves is changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide. Designed to retain nitrogen molecules, they filter the air to 93% oxygen concentration. They are the key component of oxygen concentrators, used by people with chronic respiratory conditions such as obstructive pulmonary disease. These medical devices are commonly used in the US and China (in Europe, these patients tend to use oxygen bottles). There are fixed models for home and hospital use, but portable models are becoming increasingly common (see opposite). This market has grown steadily over the past few years, particularly in the context of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, which has unfortunately led to an increase in chronic respiratory failure. As the industry leader, serving 70% of the global market, Arkema is mobilizing its industrial capacity to meet this demand.
