Arkema Launches Acrylic Acid Purification Project
Arkema has announced the launch of its Carat Project at its Carling site in France. This initiative aims to enhance the capabilities and sustainability of the facility, which specializes in producing acrylic monomers and superabsorbent polymers.
This large-scale industrial project (€130 million investment) involves the construction of a new unit with an innovative acrylic acid purification process, which will improve energy efficiency by 25% and the carbon intensity of operations by 20%, optimize resource and waste management, while increasing the site's production capacity.
Acrylic monomers, Arkema's Carling plant specialty, are essential compounds in the design of many everyday objects. They are used to manufacture metal coatings for laptops and tablets, paints, adhesives, super absorbents (for diapers), and flocculation agents for water treatment.
The extensive project involves efforts comparable to constructing a new facility within the existing one. Currently, at least one hundred employees out of the 385 on-site are engaged, with expectations of reaching a peak of 200 workers, including external contractors from various trades. Transporting the 60-meter-long columns, each weighing 150 tons, was a major logistical challenge, and the successful installation marks the first stage of the new distillation unit, set to be operational in 2026.
