Messer Supplies Con- Struction Companies with Concrete-Cooling Equip- Ment and Know-How

8090004_MESK_11-0209 27.04.2009 16:46 Uhr Seite 1 on air No. 11 · April 2009 The magazine for industrial gases

6 Ronan Morvan and Jean-René Le Torrec talk about MegaTop cylinders.

8 Cover story Messer supplies construction companies with concrete-cooling equip- ment and know-how.

14 Enrichment with oxygen improves fish farming in Belgium. 8090004_MESK_11-0209 28.04.200916:38UhrSeite2 Gasette Gas-o-theque Messer World Interview :6–7 News :4–5 Editorial Up-date onplantengineering VitaFish reliesonoxygeninfarmingtilapia New certificationsinSpainandSerbia satisfaction Affirmation ofqualityandcustomer Austria withCO Messer assistsrecyclingofPET-bottles in bottle manufacture Two-fold savingofresourcesduring On-site facilities Nitrogen generatorsunderconstruction A lookattheconstructionsites in shipbuilding. Jean-René LeTorrec abouttheuseofMegaTop René DeuxspeakstoRonanMorvanand 2 Tips, dates,keyfacts Handling waslikeaminorrevolution. Fish farmingwithO

E : Contents : : 15 3 2 : : 12–13 14 2 enrichment In our cover story, Jens Tauchmann, application technology technology application Tauchmann, Jens story, cover our In industry manager at the Messer Group, describes possibilities possibilities describes Group, Messer the at manager industry of maintaining concrete at optimal processing temperatures temperatures processing optimal at concrete maintaining of Cryogenic treatmentforhardsubstances by means of cryogenic gases. cryogenic of means by Cover story:8–11 the constructionindustrywithnecessaryequipmentandknow-how. Messeroffersefficientsolutionsincorporatingcryogenicgasesandsupplies 25 °C, and To maintainconcreteatoptimalprocessingtemperaturesbetween5°C Fish farming at VitaFish in Belgium in VitaFish at farming Fish Customer Chantiers Piriou uses the flexible the uses Piriou Chantiers Customer MegaTop welding-gas cylinder for shipbuilding for cylinder welding-gas MegaTop Sorting out is the first step step first the is out Sorting in recycling in

Photo: PET to PET Hungarian. a yearinGerman,Englishand on airispublishedfourtimes tact detailsoftheeditorialteam. about onair, aswellthecon- for comprehensiveinformation Go towww.messergroup.com Syngenta; Böhler-UddeholmAG Beloncle (interview);PETtoPET; (cover pictureandstory);Frank Photos courtesyof:MareikeTocha contributors! Many thankstoallour D–50667 Köln Elisenstraße 4–10 Context GmbH Translation: D–51149 Köln Von-der-Wettern-Straße 25 Maenken Kommunikation GmbH Concept andRealisation: Rohovec, MarlenSchäfer Angélique Renier, Joachim Anita Kötél,MonikaLammertz, Tim Evison,MichaelHoly, Böckler, ChristophErdmann, Benjamin Auweiler, Thomas [email protected] Tel.: +496196 7760-361 Diana Buss–Editor-in-Chief Editorial Team: D–65843 Sulzbach Otto-Volger-Straße 3c Corporate Communications Messer GroupGmbH Published by: Imprint on air11·2009 8090004_MESK_11-0209 27.04.2009 16:46 Uhr Seite 3

Editorial : 3

The editorial team Dear Readers, Editor-in-Chief: If you take a closer look at your surround- ings, you will notice that concrete is the material used most often in construction, whether in underground structures, buildings Diana or roads. Although this is not really anything Buss new, did you know, however, that concrete’s Corporate Office: processing properties and quality deteriorate notably when it becomes too warm? Cryogenic gases help keep this widely used composite building material sufficiently cool

Benjamin Tim Marlen and prevent its temperature from exceeding Auweiler Evison Schäfer 25 °C, particularly during the summer months. Application Technology: In the cover story, our staff member and Stefan Messer author Jens Tauchmann provides an in-depth description of cryogenic techniques employed as well as solutions and applications developed by Messer to optimize the use of concrete in diverse construction projects.

Thomas Monika Joachim Concrete is the preferred material of use in tunnel construction too. In the Böckler Lammertz Rohovec Spanish metropolis Barcelona, however, Messer is contributing in an entirely differ- Production & Engineering: ent way to the construction of a railway tunnel for the AVE high-speed train. Read how our gases are used to help install and maintain a giant mechanical excavator which actually digs the tunnel through the earth under Catalonia. From land transport to waterways, more specifically, shipbuilding: Many of the welding operations on steel ships, despite their enormous size, comprise small-scale Dr. Christoph Erdmann tasks in tiny and remote corners. This entails individual solutions which Messer West Europe Region: offers by means of its small MegaTop welding-gas cylinder, for instance. In our interview, Ronan Morvan and Jean-René Le Torrec from the French shipyard Chantiers Piriou explain why MegaTop is the ideal solution for shipbuilding.

Enjoy this issue. Angélique Renier Best regards, Central Europe Region:

Stefan Messer

Michael Holy South-East Europe Region:

Anita Kötél

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4 : News

Construction of a high-speed rail tunnel in the centre of Barcelona

Messer’s current projects include one situated below the Spanish city Photo: Böhler-Uddeholm AG of Barcelona. A 4.8 km-long tunnel is being built here for the Spanish Messer supplies Böhler with nitrogen for heat treatment of its steel products. AVE high-speed train in order to link the Catalonian capital to the French border. Three kilometres of this tunnel are being dug directly underground Böhler is now also by means of a tunnelling ma- a customer in Romania chine and Messer is responsible for supplying the gases needed As Messer has collaborated successfully with Böhler- to install, maintain and dis- Uddeholm AG in Austria, Germany, Slovakia and mantle the mechanical exca- Hungary, the enterprise, dealing in stainless steel vator. Oxygen, acetylene and and other materials, recently also decided to appoint the inert welding gas Ferromix Messer as a supplier of gases for its operations in are used here. Construction of Romania, where Böhler needs liquid nitrogen for the tunnel is to be completed heat treatment of its products and ammonia for in two years. nitration processes as well as a cold chamber. Besides

Marion Riedel, Messer Ibérica producing steel and selling it on an individual basis to customers via its branches, Böhler receives parts produced and submitted by customers for the purpose of heat treatment. The contract between Messer and Böhler involves a delivery of 100,000 cubic metres of nitrogen annually. Messer helps install, Paula Mocanu, Messer Romania maintain and dismantle this mechanical excavator in Barcelona. Weather-proof: helium Asco wins an important partner carries measuring devices into

ThyssenKrupp Industrieservice GmbH is yet another renowned the atmosphere customer to use the Messer Group’s dry-ice production concept. The German Meteorological Service in Stuttgart and Essen At the end of November 2008, Asco installed an A120P dry-ice uses helium from Messer to transport its measuring devices pelletizer in Hagenbach near Karlsruhe (Germany). The 3-mm into the atmosphere, with radiosondes being lifted to pellets produced there are used by ThyssenKrupp exclusively heights of up to 35 kilometres by helium balloons. Sensors

for dry-ice blasting. Asco also installed a CO2 tank facility measure air pressure, air temperature, humidity and upper on location for the purpose of future holding of winds, and transmit the measurement signals to ground stations which process the received information and relay liquid carbon dioxide from Messer Industriegase it to the meteorological service’s news centre where the GmbH. The production system is intended information can be directly utilized in accordance with a initially as a pilot project whose outcome, wide range of requirements. The German Meteorological if positive, will be a cue for ThyssenKrupp to Service operates eight aerological stations at present; the establish further dry-ice production sites in radiosonde stations in Essen and Stuttgart run automati- cooperation with Asco. cally. Radiosondes are launched from about 800 points

Angelina Donati, Asco worldwide, some of them on ships and maritime platforms. Mario Tavano, Messer Industriegase

CO2 tank facility for ThyssenKrupp in Hagenbach.

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News : 5

Well-packaged in the east and west

The Swiss company Josef Müller Gemüse ator, CO2 is supplied via a 10,000 litre AG relies on know-how from Messer to tank, and oxygen via cylinder bundles. process freshly cut salads ready for con- Because gases are not yet widely used sumption. Since January of this year, by the foodstuffs industries of Bosnia and Messer has provided the necessary gases Herzegovina, Messer participated in a and been responsible for the entire gas symposium for bakers held there in the

supply system – including gas mixers – autumn of 2008 in order to present the The company Josef Müller Gemüse AG relies required during production. In its present food-related applications of gases. On this on gases from Messer for packaging salads. state of expansion, the enterprise incor- occasion, the companies Sprinden and

porates seven production lines, three of Klas also decided to employ the advan- and CO2 for packaging sandwiches and which employ gas mixtures during packag- tages of gases in packaging their prod- pastries.

ing of salads. While nitrogen is produced ucts. These companies now use Gourmet Karlheinz Lauerbach, Messer Schweiz

directly on location by means of a gener- N70 and N90 comprising mixtures of N2 Esma Djuzel, Messer Sarajevo Plin

Syngenta engages in research for sustain- able agriculture.

Preserving quality with nitrogen

Messer supplies nitrogen in Hungary for quality assurance of non-alcoholicN beverages and fruit juices. At its new site near Budapest, Photo: Syngenta the Hungarian company Gramex possesses a modern PET-bottle filling A new supply system system with a nitrogen purging station for which Messer2 annually supplies for Syngenta over 700,000 cubic metres of nitrogen. The bottles are purged with gaseous nitrogen prior to being filled. This process protects preserv- Messer has installed a new supply system in ative free beverages from Monthey, Switzerland, at the premises of Syngenta, spoiling by oxidation. a leading global agricultural company. Monitoring

Anita Kötél, of process gases for six laboratories and supply

Messer Hungarogáz by Messer twice a week simplifies Syngenta’s or- dering procedures and tracking of schedules while reducing delivery costs. Developed jointly with the Nitrogen for customer and introduced in June 2008, this system assuring the quality has earned Syngenta’s laboratory-gas team the of beverages in PET-bottles internal FAR award for reliable (Fiabilité), flexible (Agilité) and fast (Rapidité) performance.

Pierre Vitali, Messer Schweiz 8090004_MESK_11-0209 27.04.2009 16:46 Uhr Seite 6

6 : Interview

“Handling was like a minor revolu t Introduced to the market five years ago, a small welding-gas cylinder for mobile usage now trades under the name MegaTop. The French shipyard Chantiers Piriou is a major procurer of this cylinder. Ronan Morvan and Jean-René Le Torrec explain why they chose MegaTop.

YOUR CONTACT: on air: Tell us briefly about your shipyard. of which comprise industrial buildings. 50 welders Ronan Morvan: We build and repair fishing boats such under the supervision of Jean-René Le Torrec help con- as trawlers and longliners, as well as work boats such struct our steel and aluminium boats. as barges, ferries and tug boats up to 100 metres long. on air: What kind of boats are you building at present? We offer comprehensive solutions ranging from design Jean-René Le Torrec: We won three important con- and construction to maintenance and overhauling of tracts in 2009: A longliner for the South Pacific, a boats. Piriou has acquired an international reputation tuna-fishing boat for the Indian Ocean, and a ferry for after having built more than 300 new ships in 40 use on the Gironde in southwest France. This promises René Deux years. To remain competitive, we operate shipyards not a growing demand for welding gases. Sales Engineer only in Brittany, but also Nigeria, Vietnam and on air: What do you need the MegaTop cylinders for? Messer France S.A.S Tel.: +33 (0) 240 95 29 35 Mauritius. We also have a planning office in Poland. In Jean-René Le Torrec: The workshops are supplied with [email protected] Language: Concarneau, 200 of our staff are engaged in shipbuild- gases via the pipeline network from stationary tanks ing on a total area of 25,000 square metres, 15,000 filled centrally or by means of cylinder bundles.

In an interview with René Deux, production manager Ronan Morvan (right) and welding super- visor Jean-René Le Torrec (centre) from the French shipyard Chantiers Piriou explain their firm reli- ance on MegaTop welding-gas cylinders. 8090004_MESK_11-0209 27.04.2009 16:46 Uhr Seite 7

Interview : 7 u tion”

Welding operations on ships require a mobile use of gas cylinders. Due to its low weight, the MegaTop cylinder is the ideal solution here.

Because this is not possible on the boats, we need to MegaTop cylinder weighs just 40 kilograms, it has YOUR CONTACT: use mobile cylinders there. nearly the same capacity as a B50 cylinder which on air: Why did you choose MegaTop? weighs a full 85 kilograms. The new cylinder’s easy Jean-René Le Torrec: This cylinder’s primary advantage handling is like a minor revolution, eliminating the is its low weight, which gives the welders greater need for the hoisting gear we had to use on board mobility and flexibility on location. Furthermore, the earlier in order to move heavy cylinders. cylinder can be used easily on stairs too, which is on air: Is the quality of the argon gas important? important when working on board. Jean-René Le Torrec: Of course. We know that argon in Ronan Morvan: Flexibility saves time and money. MegaTop cylinders has a quality of 4.5, i.e. a gas purity Jean-Luc Marchand on air: What else speaks in favour of MegaTop besides of 99.995 percent by volume. Furthermore, the cylin- Sales Engineer Messer France S.A.S. its easy handling? ders are equipped with pressure-relief valves prevent- Tel.: +33 (0) 6-71-98-07-16 [email protected] Jean-René Le Torrec: The integrated pressure reducer is ing impurities due to humidity. Languages: really useful. The displays allow us to monitor gas con- Angélique Renier, Messer France tent in real time and avoid losses. Furthermore, the integrated pressure reducer is better protected than MegaTop – ideal for mobile use

usual against damage in case the cylinder drops; this MegaTop is the new designation for a welding-gas cylinder ideal for mobile provides good insurance against costs given our fre- use. The new name’s segments “Me” and “ga” stand for “Messer” and “gas” respectively. quent use of gas cylinders. The small size of the B20 (20-litre) cylinder in conjunction with its practi- on air: What do you think of the MegaTop’s three pre- cal grip makes for effortless and easy handling. Due to its relatively high defined flow rates? pressure of 300 bar, the cylinder has a much larger capacity than usual, given Jean-René Le Torrec: The concept appeals to us. If the the same volume (six to seven cubic flow rate is continuously adjustable, the welder tends metres, depending on the gas mix- to set it to the maximum value, which usually just ture). An integrated pressure reducer ensures maximum protection for increases consumption without improving welding users. The pressure reducer’s three quality. The flow rate of 15 litres per minute is suitable calibrated outputs provide a choice of for most welding tasks. An excessive flow of gas can fixed flow rates of 8, 15 and 20 litres per minute to suit the application also reduce the welded seam’s resistance to oxidation. involved. on air: Did MegaTop’s 300-bar technology play a role? Jean-René Le Torrec: Most certainly. Though the

MegaTop permits welding in the most confined spaces.

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8 : Cover story

Cryogenic treatment for

Messer supplies cryogenic gases to this cement cooling facility near Innsbruck (Austria).

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Cover story : 9

Gottfried Hatz from Messer Austria briefs a customer on operation of the cement cooling system. hard substances YOUR CONTACT:

Above a certain temperature, concrete becomes more difficult to process. To prevent this, concrete and its additives can be cooled by means of cryogenic

gases. Messer supplies the construction industry with the necessary equip- Jens Tauchmann Application Technology Industry Manager ment and know-how. Messer Group Tel.: +49 (0) 2151 7811-228 [email protected] Concrete is undisputedly the principal building at any stage of processing. Fresh concrete should Languages: material worldwide. According to the German Asso- ideally be processed at between 5 °C and 25 °C, as ciation of Cement Works (VDZ), 27 million tons of temperatures outside this range spoil the quality of cement were processed into roughly 90 million cubic the concrete. Based directly on the chemistry of metres of concrete last year in Germany alone. This cement, this aspect is explained by considering the quantity is enough to build 225 cathedrals each as relevant details. Concrete has three essential ingre- large as the Dom in Cologne. Concrete is capable of dients: (1) aggregate such as sand, gravel, crushed bearing high loads, permits flexible processing, remains stone or chippings, (2) water and (3) cement. Cement stable for an eternity, and is available in many differ- is a mixture of limestone, clay, sand and iron ore burnt ent variants. at 1450 °C and subsequently ground. In its dry state, By modifying its formulation, concrete can be grey cement powder is completely non-reactive. tailored to meet diverse requirements posed by the When mixed with water, however, cement forms a construction of underground structures, roads, and kind of glue which gradually hardens or “sets”, as a buildings. Whether the requirement is to cast a storey construction engineer would say. ceiling or tunnel wall, prefabricate load-bearing elements for a market hall or produce watertight pipe The right temperature range sections for public sewage systems: concrete can be Cement sets in a chemical reaction with water (hydra- brought into every conceivable shape and processed, tion) accompanied by a release of heat energy (hydra- in conjunction with adequate reinforcement such as tion energy). In this process, the cement’s ingredients steel, to produce strong foundations, dams or bridge form mainly stable, needle-shaped crystals which grad- continued on page 10 piers. As a prerequisite, however, no faults must occur ually grow and mesh together. The sand, gravel and

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10 : Cover story

Messer supplies not only cryogenic gases but also its entire know-how related to cement cooling, including technology for monitoring cement cooling facilities.

reinforcement steel, i.e. all basic materials intended to spoiling fresh concrete’s fluidity and processability. increase concrete’s durability and strength, are bonded Moreover, the heat generated by hydration proves sig- together firmly as a result. nificant especially in the case of bulky components. For hydration to yield satisfactory results, it is Thermal expansion of concrete can cause strain, re- necessary to set certain basic conditions such as a sulting in cracks extending deep into the concrete core. temperature of at least 5 °C during processing of fresh Air and moisture can pervade these cracks and attack concrete; below this temperature, the cement loses the concrete as well as its enclosed reinforcements. some or all of its bonding capability. Measures to ensure that the building material hardens properly, The requirements define the cooling especially in winter, include pre-heating the additives technique or using thermally-insulated formwork. Whereas the To maintain fresh concrete’s temperature in summer tempering effect of hydration is beneficial in winter, within the optimal processing range of 5 °C to 25 °C, it can pose problems during the warm summer season. Messer offers efficient solutions incorporating

At high temperatures, say above 30 °C, the concrete’s cryogenic gases: liquid nitrogen (LN2) or liquid carbon

additives start to lose their liquefaction capability, thus dioxide (LCO2).

Temperature in °C Hydration energy max. cooled B45 In simple terms (accounting for a certain degree of fuzziness), heat release during the reaction between cement and water is equivalent to reversal of the combus- tion of ground cement additives in the furnace, where a supply of large quantities uncooled B45 of heat breaks up the crystalline constituents and evaporates the water they con- tain. What remains is the capability to grow into a crystal again. This happens during hydration, i.e. binding with water. The amount of hydration energy released depends on the water-binding power. A taut bowstring serves as an

Time in hrs analogy here: the greater the tension produced by muscular force, the further the arrow flies. Similarly, the greater the tendency of the cement’s ingredients to bind water, the higher the resultant hydration energy. Comparison between the hydration heat characteristics of cooled and uncooled B45 concrete

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Cover story : 11

Gottfried Hatz advises customer BauBeton’s mixing Messer supplies cryogenic gases for cooling cement at this foreman on location. hydroelectric power plant construction site in Bulgaria.

In numerous experiment series, the company’s special- the cement just in time, i.e. immediately before pro- ists investigated a variety of now proven techniques cessing. Advantage: no need for storing cold cement, for cooling concrete and its additives. so that cooling losses are lowered at all events. To cool small and medium quantities of concrete Which of these methods is more suitable for a

by a few degrees, for instance, LN2 is introduced via particular application depends significantly on the lances on the truck mixer into the building material. quantity of concrete requiring cooling as well as the Termed lance cooling, this rapid process can be execut- anticipated cooling period and rate. The necessary ed directly at the construction site. fine adjustments are determined in meetings between A much more efficient method, however, especially Messer’s experts and the customer.

at high ambient temperatures, is to instead cool the Jens Tauchmann, Messer Group cement (we have named this method cryoment). Two variants are available here: firstly, the cement’s temperature can be adjusted to the required level directly during storage in the local silo (we have named this method cryoment-flow). Secondly, it is possible to cool

Lower cost and higher efficiency with a different cooling method

The temperature of concrete requir- cement is cooled in the mixer, the cement. However, LCO2 offers two ing processing might need to be cold content of the cryogenic gas is special advantages: firstly, liquid

reduced by 1 °C to 20 °C, depending put to use too. Consequently, cement CO2 contains about 10 per cent more on weather conditions. About 80 kilo- usually requires only half (!) as much cooling energy. grams of cryogenic, liquid nitrogen cooling as concrete cooled by lances Secondly, the role of the evap-

(LN2) are needed to cool one cubic on a truck mixer. orating gas is much less significant, metre of concrete by an average of What remains to be clarified is thus also lowering the size and cost 5 °C if lances on a truck mixer are which cryogenic gas provides users of the necessary filters: when one

employed at the construction site. with the greatest advantages: liquid kilogram of LN2 evaporates, about Though this method utilizes most of nitrogen (LN2, usable for cooling 0.9 cubic metres of nitrogen gas are the nitrogen’s capacity to cool by evap- down to minus 196 °C) or liquid car- released. The same weight of LCO2 oration, the cooling potential of the bon dioxide (LCO2, usable for cooling gives rise to just 0.5 cubic metres of cryogenic gas is not fully exploited. If down to minus 79 °C). Both gases are gas, i.e. slightly more than half the instead of the concrete, however, the inert and can be used to cool dry volume.

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12 : Messer World

Construction of new facilities underway E Siegen (Germany): Rybnik (Poland): Assembly of all components is in full swing. Commissioning was successfully completed Commissioning is expected to take place on in April 2009. The air separator now supplies schedule in September 2009. our customers in Poland and neighbouring Salzgitter (Germany): countries with liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen Construction work for Salzgitter AG has begun. and liquid argon. First of all, a flat-bottomed tank for liquid Visp (Switzerland): oxygen with a capacity of two million litres Messer has already cooled down the facility; will be installed. production of up to 12,000 standard cubic Zenica (Bosnia): metres of gaseous oxygen per hour and 20,000 Summer 2009 will see standard cubic metres of nitrogen per hour for the installation of a our customer Lonza is to be commenced in new main air compress- May 2009. A liquefier to produce cryogenic air or which will notably gases for Messer’s customers in Switzerland reduce the specific and Italy will be started up in summer. energy consumption of Nantes (France): the air separator put Construction is in its final phase, assembly into operation by our of the main components is being prepared at customer ArcelorMittal the moment. Steel in the autumn of Resita (Romania): 2008. There is a great deal of activity at the construction site right now, installation of pipelines and electric cables is the busiest Air separator for phase for staff. Mittal Steel in Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Nitrogen generators under construction

Europe: Besides large-scale air separation systems, currently installing a membrane facility for DuPont Messer is also constructing relatively small, on-site in France. With a capacity of 640 standard cubic facilities for producing gaseous nitrogen. metres per hour, this facility is designed to permit These include three cryogenic nitrogen generators: very economical responses to an extraordinarily one for Bosch in Hatvan/Hungary with a capacity dynamic demand curve. The customer’s demand of 500 standard cubic metres per hour (to be com- might drop at times to 80 standard cubic metres per missioned in July 2009), one for ABB in Lenzburg/ hour, with the resultant specific energy consumption Switzerland with a capacity of 570 standard cubic only being slightly higher compared with peak capac- metres per hour (to be commissioned in August 2009) ity utilization.

and one for Spolchemie in Ústí nad Labem/Czech Dr. Christoph Erdmann, Messer Group Republic with a capacity of 870 standard cubic metres per hour (to be commissioned in Messer is presently installing October 2009). Messer is also cryogenic nitrogen generators of this kind in Hungary, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

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Messer World : 13

Old PET (polyethy- lenterephtalate) bottles are used by PET to PET to recover basic materials for new bottles. Photo: PET to Two-fold saving of resources during bottle manufacture

Austria: Situated in Müllendorf, the company PET possible to return up to 75 per cent of the process to PET Recycling Österreich GmbH recovers basic water to the production cycle. materials for new PET beverage bottles from old For the reverse osmosis plant to operate reliably, PET bottles. With a newly established production the water’s pH-value must be lowered and kept con- site there, PET to PET makes an important constant at 7. For this purpose, PET to PET employs a pH- tribution to the modern recycling economy. control mechanism supplied by Messer and making use The company observes recycling principles internally of carbon dioxide which reacts like a weak acid in too. A case in point is the repeated use of process water. Totally uncomplicated in terms of handling and water which PET to PET first purifies at its own biologi- storage, the gas prevents increases in concentrate sa- cal purification plant and then conditions by means of linity and is more cost effective than using chemicals.

modern membrane filtration systems. This makes it Nicole Pichler, Messer Austria

Affirmation of quality and customer satisfaction

Spain/Serbia/Romania: Messer’s heavy emphasis on Spain is presently preparing for an audit in OHSAS product quality and customer satisfaction is reflected (Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Services). In by the following certifications. Serbia, Messer Tehnogas has been certified according Messer in Spain has been certified according to UNE to ISO 9001 since 2004, ISO 14001 since 2005, and EN ISO 9001 since as early as 1995. Governing quality HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) since management and customer satisfaction, 2006. Messer Tehnogas also holds the European ifie rt d this certificate covers all production e GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certificate C areas as well as sales and marketing for the medical, liquid oxygen (LOX) it produces of all products. Last year, the com- in Smederevo, and the medical nitrous oxide

pany was also able to obtain certifica- (N2O) produced in Belgrade. This GMP certifi- Q Y tion according to ISO 14001 in the area UALIT cate was issued by the Romanian health autho- of environmental protection. Moreover, rities, since Messer in Serbia also supplies its affiliate Messer is now authorized to manufacture and fill in Romania via the air separator in Smederevo (LOX)

medical gases not only at the production site and the and the factory in Rakovica (N2O).

filling plant in Vilaseca, but also in El Morell. Messer in Benjamin Auweiler, Messer Group

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14 : Gas-o-theque

Fish farming with O2 enrichment Belgium: Engaged in indoor farming of tilapia, the Belgian company VitaFish is able to produce 4000 tons of fish annually. For this purpose, VitaFish relies on gases supplied by Messer.

Organized on the principle of “vertical farming” centrations needed by VitaFish. Simply increasing VitaFish unites all relevant aspects under one umbrel- the throughput of such a system would increase not la: a giant building complex houses not only the breed- only the water’s oxygen content, but also its nitrogen ing and spawning areas for the tilapia, but also the content, thus posing a danger of the feared gas-bub- processing and packaging lines. ble illness. Originating from Africa and the region around Consequently, VitaFish relies on a combination the river Jordan (in Israel and Jordan), tilapia accord- of atmospheric and pure oxygen. The two-stage pro- Advantages ingly thrive at 28 degrees Celsius. To minimize as- cess employed here fully utilizes the higher partial at a glance: sociated energy and water costs in Belgium’s climate, pressure of pure oxygen, hence ultimately raising the > Optimized feed quotient > Rapid fish growth the warm water is maintained in a cycle where it is concentration of oxygen in the water. This is vital for > High stock densities cleaned regularly by large bio-filters. Among indoor the fish, making it possible to easily fulfil peak demand possible producers, VitaFish has the world’s largest water for oxygen immediately after feeding, for instance. As > Optimized oxygen control > High immunity of conditioning system. a result, the fish undergo less stress and grow faster. fish to illness VitaFish also uses gaseous oxygen for producing ozone > Less need for fresh water Healthy growth with air and 0 2 (O3) for the purpose of disinfection. During conditioning, the purified water is also enriched with air and pure oxygen, one aim here being to en- Oxygen input sure a constant supply of oxygen for the fish. This main- Oxygen is input on the counterflow principle which tains the quality of fish at the highest possible level increases the period of contact between oxygen bub- while achieving high stock densities and fast growth. bles and the water. As a result, more oxygen from the Due to the high proportion of nitrogen in air (78 per bubbles is dissolved in the water, hence optimizing the To grow optimally in aquaculture, tilapia cent N2, 21 per cent O2), a conventional ventilation oxygen’s cost-effectiveness. need sufficient oxygen system would not be able to attain the oxygen con- Denis Reydams and Steven Wante, Messer Benelux in addition to warmth and nutrition.

Tilapia stem from Africa and the region around the river Jordan (in Israel and Jordan). Also known as St. Peter’s fish, they belong to the family of chiclids and, by virtue of their origin, like high temperatures.

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Gasette : 15

COMPETITION Win ...... a Messer model truck with a scale of 1:50 Simply find the page containing the full photo whose excerpt is shown here, and e-mail the page number to:

Closing date: 15th June 2009 * Messer staff and their > [email protected] families are excluded from the competition.

Congratulations to Tom Ossieur, Lantmännen-Knibake Benelux (Belgium) who submitted the right answer, “Page 4”, for issue 10 and can look forward to receiving the book “Cryo Cooking” by Kristof Coppens.

ADOLF MESSER PRIZE Outstanding research on molecules Prize winner Dr. Christina Thiele The Adolf Messer Foundation’s prize worth EUR 50,000 instance, to its potential in improving the effec- goes to chemist Dr. Christina Thiele. The 33-year-old tiveness of pharmaceuticals and the activity of researcher working for the Clemens Schöpf Institute catalysts. To specifically sponsor young scientists for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at Darmstadt and their research, the Adolf Messer Foundation Technical University has received this award for her re- has awarded two prizes annually since 1994: one search efforts to determine the structure of organic for researchers at Darmstadt Technical University, compounds with residual, di-polar couplings. The im- the other for researchers at Johann Wolfgang portance of this fundamental research is due, for Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main.

> www.adolf-messer-stiftung.de

CONTRIBUTION FOR THE HUNGARIAN RED CROSS Messer helps a blood donation service Johann Ringhofer (Messer Hungary, Messer in Hungary supports the blood donation service of the Red Cross. Last December, Johann right) and György Habsburg at the con- Ringhofer, Managing Director of Messer in Hungary, submitted a cheque worth five million forints tribution ceremony. (about EUR 17,000) to the President of the Hungarian Red Cross, György Habsburg. This money went to the purchase of mixer scales for mobile blood donation trucks. A mixer scale constantly stirs and mixes blood with anti-coagulants and sugar solution, while determining the mixture’s exact weight. Thanks to Messer’s support, the Red Cross has been able to procure four more mixer scales for its mobile laboratories.

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Coming up in the next issue: Laser technology has become indispensable in many areas of production, research and medicine. However, selection of the right laser and working gases is essential for optimized deployment of this technology. The solutions and applications offered by Messer to customers are described in the next issue. Sulphuric acid is the most important, basic inorganic chemical worldwide. In cooperation with a partner company, Messer has developed a technique of raising sulphur manufacturing capacity by up to 60 per cent.