Air Products launched their latest production asset, the Midlands carbon dioxide (CO2) Facility in Sasolburg, which accentuates their strategic decision to diversify its CO2 sources and to fill the gap in the market that results during peak demand summer periods or when existing sources are unavailable. The Midlands CO2 Facility, which was successfully commissioned in April 2025, enables Air Products to provide a modest capacity of secure supply of product to current and potential new customers.
Air Products embarked on the journey in 2019, when a potentially rich source of CO2 gas from the Sasol Midlands N-Butanol plant was identified. The raw CO2 gas was recognized as being suitable for CO2 recovery, purification, and liquefaction. After extensive investigation into the composition, quantity and reliability of this source, it was established that the CO2 was suitable for the production of food and beverage-grade liquid CO2.
Top class engineering, innovation and collaboration
Air Products’ Managing Director, Charles Dos Santos, commented: “A project of this nature demands collaboration between multiple parties, bringing know-how, assets, technology, specialized resources and skills from the initial project development stages through to design, construction, commissioning and then the long-term operation and maintenance of the facility.”
The completion of the Midlands CO2 Facility journey, according to Dos Santos, is testimony to the collaborative efforts and persistence of the teams involved. “The Air Products and Sasol teams worked closely to optimally define the project interfaces and integrate the new Air Products CO2 facility into the Sasol Midlands complex. Air Products appreciates and acknowledges the support provided by the Sasol teams.”
The key equipment was designed and fabricated by a carefully selected global technology partner that provided the innovative, best-in-class technology that underpins the design of the plant.
The Air Products team project managed the overall execution phase over a 24-month period and undertook all procurement activities and designed storage facilities, utility systems which included cooling systems and safety systems with in-house resources. “Air Products is known for its highly skilled in-house engineering and projects execution team, and once again, they ensured that the project was executed according to the company’s high quality and safety standards.” The project was executed safely with no injuries being recorded.
We are proud to launch the Air Products Midlands CO2 Facility as it is not only testimony to Air Products’ commitment to supply high quality liquid product to the market but also a demonstration of engineering excellence and the power of collaboration.
True to its ethos of placing an emphasis on safety, health, environment and quality in order to drive continuous improvement and sustainability, Air Products is in the final stages of obtaining FSSC 22 000 certification. This food safety management certification highlights the company’s alignment to local as well as global safety standards, ensuring that the product is suitable for use in the food and beverage industry.
The Midlands CO2 Facility is a further extension of Air Products’ relationship with Sasol which dates back to 1997 when two 20km pipelines to supply the Sasol Sasolburg facility with oxygen and nitrogen were commissioned, followed by the commissioning of an ASU on the Sasol, Sasolburg facility in 1998.
In conclusion, Dos Santos stated: “We are proud to launch the Air Products Midlands CO2 Facility as it is not only testimony to Air Products’ commitment to supply high quality liquid product to the market but also a demonstration of engineering excellence and the power of collaboration.”
For more information on Air Products, visit www.airproducts.co.za.
