Access to hydrofluoric acid through traditional mining sectors remains increasingly volatile, so the partnership forged in the United States between Arkema and the fertilizer manufacturer Nutrien is a game-changer. The precious raw material is obtained from an existing industrial product, by means of an innovative process, with low emissions and without water consumption.
Commissioning is scheduled for April 2022. At its industrial complex in Aurora (North Carolina), dedicated to the production of phosphate fertilizers, the Canadian group Nutrien will produce 40,000 tons of hydrofluoric acid annually, intended for the Arkema plant in Calvert City (Kentucky). This is the culmination of an exemplary industrial project, and is a landmark achievement: it is one of the very first units in the world (and the first in North America) to produce this strategic raw material, not from fluorspar mines, but as a coproduct in the production of phosphate fertilizers: hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFSA).
$150 million investment “For those working in fluorine chemistry, access to hydrofluoric acid is a key issue", emphasizes Christophe Villain, Managing Director of Arkema's Fluorogas business unit. “It is the basic reagent for fluorogases (HFC and HFO), but also for the Kynar® PVDF that we produce in Calvert City.” However, supply via the traditional sector, consisting of extracting small amounts of fluorine from large quantities of rocks, has become problematic due to growing demand and increasing price volatility.
In its search for an alternative source, Arkema has for many years been investigating a specific innovative process developed under license, which allows hydrofluoric acid to be obtained from HFSA. Some pilot projects are already in progress in China. In 2018, Arkema then approached Nutrien, which was also interested in this new process. The two parties reached an agreement in early 2020: Arkema will put $150 million into financing the construction of the processing unit, the group’s largest investment in 2021.
