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The European market for industrial applications of carbon dioxide, mainly for the food and water treatment, represents 3 million tons per year and meet a steady growth of 3% per year. To accompany this growth, Air Liquide is investing in two new units of recovery of carbon dioxide in Bazancourt, France, and Rozenburg, The Netherlands, with an overall investment of close to 20 million euros.

The factory will Bazancourt value to 120,000 tons / year of carbon dioxide and will be launched in late 2009. The investment provides a rail connection to the factory to limit road transport. Rozenburg factory, whose implementation is expected in the first half of 2010, will value 50,000 tons / year of carbon dioxide in particular to respond to the strong growth of greenhouse crops in the Netherlands.

These investments are added to the plant's carbon dioxide liquefacción in Geleen, Netherlands, in which third extension was launched in October 2008, and has an additional production capacity of 80,000 tons / year. Air Liquide strengthened its European capacity of carbon dioxide by more than 250,000 tons between 2008 and 2010. This new facility will allow up to purify and liquefy for reuse, carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

Guy Salzgeber, Director of Operations Europe and member of the Executive Committee of Air Liquide Group, said: "These new investments in Europe, added to that of Geleen, allow us to grow 25% in our ability to provide value to carbon dioxide and thus giving a response to the needs of our customers in this market while significantly enhancing the stability of supply. The Group continues its policy of investment in growth markets.