Officials with the chemical manufacturer Arkema held a ribbon cutting Tuesday on a new unit in Calvert City that’s been retrofitted to produce a material used for insulation, refrigeration and other applications – representing a $60 million investment in the Marshall County area.
The plant in far western Kentucky started production earlier this year on an Arkema product called Forane 1233zd, a foam blowing agent.
Carl Stewart, the plant manager for the Calvert City location, used the example of spray foam insulation that is sold in cans. Something needs to propel that product out of the can – and Stewart said that’s where a product like this Forane material comes into play.
“If you build a house now, you may well use spray foam insulation that has our 1233zd as the propellant,” Stewart said. “The regular consumer wouldn't buy directly from us. We're a component in the final product that goes on to your walls or inside your walls, or on your barn or in your building, or even appliances, [like] refrigerators.”
The site in Calvert City will be one of only two facilities in the U.S. where this special liquid blowing agent will be made for Arkema, which is headquartered in France.
The facility originally began production in 1997 making Forane 134a refrigerant, a colorless liquified gas used in refrigeration and in automotive A/C units. The Environmental Protection Agency calls that substance a “potent greenhouse gas” and is phasing out the use of the product across the country.
With the federal government calling for the reduction of 134a, Stewart said Arkema had an opportunity in Calvert City to use an existing facility for a more sustainable product.
“That's when we decided, hey, we've got a huge asset here. We've got – not just the materials, not just the metal – we've got assets in the people we have here. We have know-how. We have some of the most know-how in the world on fluorochemical applications. We have it right here at the Calvert City site,” Stewart said.
Company officials said switching the facility over to Forane 1233zd production is also in line with the group’s sustainability mission. The product has a global warming potential (GWP) rating of 1 – meaning that its emission has roughly the same impact as carbon dioxide. In comparison, Forane 134a, the product the Calvert City plant used to produce, has a GWP of 1,430.
As part of its sustainability plan, Arkema is aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions company-wide by 2050. Stewart said, since 2012, the Calvert City plant has cut its greenhouse gas emissions generated by production processes and by electricity purchased for the plants by more than 90%.
Laurent Tellier, senior vice president of performance additives for Arkema, said the company has a responsibility and that it’s goal is to reduce its environmental footprint.
“This new 1233zd investment is more than an expansion. It is a cornerstone of our strategy,” Tellier said. “I think this investment is a perfect embodiment of Arkema’s signature, innovative material for sustainable worlds. It reflects our ambition, our responsibility, and the way that our expertise in [a] material sense can make a material difference and be a force for good.”
Earlier this year, Arkema announced a separate $20 million project to increase its polyvinylidene fluoride manufacturing capacity at the Calvert City plant to support, among other things, increasing demand for high-performance resins for lithium ion batteries. The company expects that expansion to come online next year.
