Arkema said on Oct. 8 that it had inaugurated a new acrylic acid purification unit at its Carling site in France, an investment of nearly €150 million that the company described as one of its largest industrial projects in France. The project, called CARAT, was decided in 2023.
The new unit improves the energy efficiency of the purification process by 25% and reduces the carbon intensity of the site's operations by 20%, according to Arkema. The technology also significantly reduces solvent consumption and improves resource and waste management.
Carling is one of Europe's leading acrylic production sites, producing acrylic monomers used in performance coatings, adhesives, water treatment and other advanced materials. The site's director said production is maintained at 800 tonnes per day of purified acrylic acid.
The project was partly funded by the French State through the France 2030 program, operated by ADEME, and funded by the EU's NextGenerationEU. It is part of Arkema's decarbonization investment program, with cumulative spending that could reach €400 million over 2022-2030.
The inauguration was attended by Arkema Chairman and CEO Thierry Le Hénaff and European Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, and coincided with the General Assembly of the Critical Chemicals Alliance.
