We speak to David Maitland, Operations Director at Air Products, about the vital role industrial gases play in keeping manufacturing industries moving – and how the latest innovations in production technology are helping manufacturers lower emissions, boost energy efficiency and make meaningful progress toward decarbonisation.
From cryogenic distillation to cutting-edge oxyfuel combustion, David walks us through the processes behind gas production and the technologies transforming plant operations across the UK, Ireland, Israel and Italy. He also shares how Air Products is helping manufacturers navigate the shift to more sustainable operations – with practical, scalable solutions designed to meet today’s needs while preparing for a low-carbon future.
David, can you start by explaining your role at Air Products and your involvement in driving operations across the UKI, Israel, and Italy regions?
As Operations Director, my role covers all aspects of production and the distribution of industrial gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and helium. We serve key manufacturing sectors, from heavy industry and metal fabrication to electronics, healthcare and food. The gases we supply are business-critical to their operations, ensuring they are able to deliver the best products and services for their clients in turn.
My job also involves exploring opportunities to integrate technology into our operations, helping drive efficiency and sustainable practices. Comprehensive data and insights provide a real opportunity for us to quickly identify and mitigate oncoming challenges or inefficiencies, working smarter to run better, more reliable processes – and help our customers do the same.
Can you tell me more about how industrial gases are produced?
The principle gases produced in industrial gas manufacturing are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, hydrogen and helium. There are a variety of different methods to capture and store these gases for commercial use.
Oxygen, nitrogen and argon are primarily sourced through cryogenic distillation, where air is cooled and compressed to its liquid state and then passed through a distillation column. This allows its component gases – including oxygen, nitrogen and argon – to separate for collection, based on their individual boiling points.
Helium is a component gas found in natural gas deposits, and is extracted by a process of filtering and distillation to separate it from impurities and other gases. Through the purification process it achieves the desired purity level – usually around 99.99%.
In the UK, we obtain raw carbon dioxide (CO2) feedstock from ammonia plants that produce fertiliser. We then liquify the CO2 and supply it to industries such as agriculture, food and beverage.
Hydrogen is most commonly produced through steam methane reforming whereby natural gas or methane are reacted with steam to produce hydrogen. A second method involves electrolysis to produce hydrogen by using and electrical current to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen can also be generated as part of industrial processes. Waste gas purification separates hydrogen from waste streams through special purification processes.
You mentioned that a key part of your role involves integrating technology into the way your business operates. Could you expand on how smart data is helping drive sustainability in the industrial gases sector?
Smart technology has become a key enabler in helping us improve the energy efficiency of our operations. At our Carrington plant, for example, digital insights helped us identify and successfully address an overuse of power. Likewise at our Didcot plant, real-time data helped us track a spike in energy consumption back to a malfunctioning piece of equipment, which we were then able to fix and improve its efficiency.
Taken together, these kinds of insights are vital in helping us operate at maximum efficiency. So far, we have rolled out this data-driven approach by digitising 70+ of our plants in the UK.
Air Products has long been at the forefront of industrial gases. Could you elaborate on how industrial gases play a pivotal role in decarbonising other manufacturing sectors?
There’s no doubt that industrial gases are an essential part of day-to-day operations across a wide range of sectors, but they’re equally as important in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. Take hydrogen, for example, which is essential in removing sulphur compounds from crude oil, as well as being a green fuel source in its own right. Nitrogen and CO2, meanwhile, keep our food fresher for longer, and in so doing help reduce carbon footprint by minimising food waste. And, of course, oxyfuel relies on oxygen as the core component for optimal combustion to help decarbonise heavy industry processes.
Oxyfuel technology has been identified as a stepping stone to using hydrogen and other alternative fuels. Can you explain how oxyfuel works and why it is such an important technology for the transition towards hydrogen?
Oxyfuel combustion is the process of burning a fuel using pure oxygen, instead of air. Air contains almost 80% nitrogen, which doesn’t burn; it heats up and removes heat from the process as it exits in the form of hot flue gases. Combustion with oxygen therefore eliminates this waste and can reduce CO2 levels by up to 40%, as well as reducing harmful noxious gases.
Why is this important? Well, it’s anticipated that using renewable hydrogen as a fuel to partly or fully replace carbon-intensive natural gas will have a big role to play in helping heavy industry decarbonise. However, a large-scale, reliable and renewable hydrogen supply is not available right now, despite major efforts to scale up production – and that’s where oxyfuel comes in.
Oxyfuel combustion technology offers industrial customers that use combustion processes (such as steel, aluminium and glass manufacturers) a clear pathway to lowering their emissions significantly, meaning they don’t have to wait for a readily available supply of hydrogen to decarbonise. At Air Products, we also work with manufacturers to ensure that oxyfuel combustion technology is compatible with both a natural gas or a renewable hydrogen blend, and with 100% renewable hydrogen fuel, to help ease progress towards net zero.
Efficiency and cost management are key in manufacturing. How does the use of oxyfuel technology in industries such as glass manufacturing improve operational efficiency and reduce costs?
Oxyfuel is a real game-changer in improving fuel efficiency, providing faster melting processes and higher flame temperatures even with lower fuel usage, thereby driving down energy costs. And for glass manufacturers, it has additional benefits to boot, including improvements in glass quality and a significant reduction in NOX, SOX and particulate emissions.
Oxyfuel is also compatible with smart data and technology systems that allow manufacturers to track and adjust processes remotely, driving further efficiencies and carbon reductions. Investing in oxyfuel combustion technology today can not only help manufacturers to move one step closer to net zero; it can also future-proof their processes.
In our experience, the benefits of oxyfuel combustion are greatest for manufacturers who operate high temperature processes (such as glass, steel and aluminium), need extra production, lack heat recovery, struggle with emissions issues or have undersized baghouses.
Can you provide any examples or case studies from Air Products’ work where oxyfuel technology has helped a manufacturer make strides toward decarbonisation or more sustainable operations?
Helping industry decarbonise is now more important than ever, and we know the road ahead won’t be without its challenges. Decarbonisation is a journey, which is why we’re always looking for ways to support businesses make that crucial first step.
One such example, which has been in operation for several years now, is our work with Tandom Metallurgical Group, one of the UK’s leading metal manufacturers. We embarked on a 10-month study in 2020 to develop a digital twin of its melting process, demonstrating how we could enhance its efficiency and effectiveness with oxygen-enhanced combustion technology. Using data to calculate exactly when the metal inside the furnace had reached optimal melt conditions meant that Tandom was able to improve yield, reduce CO2 emissions by 15% and make energy gains by the same amount.
Finally, what advice would you give to manufacturing sectors looking to start their decarbonisation journey? What are the first steps?
Don’t wait – the technology is right at our fingertips, and with the right level of support and investment businesses across all sectors can make small changes today to future-proof their processes for tomorrow.
Different sectors will have different needs, and while there’s no set formula for how best to decarbonise, one thing is clear – it’s a step-by-step process, not an overnight overhaul. Technologies like oxyfuel can be a vital stepping stone in helping manufacturers find the best routes to decarbonisation that support their long-term ambitions, helping them transition to alternative fuel solutions in the future. Of course, that will take time, collaboration and support – but I’m confident that a low-carbon future is within our gift to reach.
