Air Products & Chemicals
Encyclopedia
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. is an international corporation
whose principal business is selling gas
es and chemicals for industrial uses. Air Products' headquarters is in Allentown, Pennsylvania
, in the Lehigh Valley
region of Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. Air Products is the Lehigh Valley's third largest employer, after Lehigh Valley Hospital
and St. Luke's Hospital. Leonard P. Pool founded the company in 1940.
, nitrogen
, argon
, hydrogen
and carbon monoxide
), process and specialty gases, performance materials and chemical intermediates.
Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor
materials, refinery hydrogen, natural gas liquefaction, epoxy
additives, advanced coatings and adhesives. It is also noted as growing its portfolio of solutions to address the hydrogen
fuel cell
economy through hydrogen
fueling stations as well as its personal care
chemicals business.
Air Products also provided the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
fuel for the Space Shuttle External Tank
. Air Products has had a working relationship with NASA
for 50 years. In fact, Air Products has supplied all the liquid hydrogen
used for every Space Shuttle
launch and prior Mercury
and Apollo missions.
On January 27, 2010, Air Products (NYSE: APD) was named a Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes (CIIs) Leader, ranking 17th out of the 300 largest U.S. companies evaluated for their climate-related innovation and carbon management programs. Air Products is currently working on several preeminent carbon capture and storage demonstration projects around the world.
Air Products was included on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index
as one of the best performing sustainable companies for 2010/11. Only the top 20 percent of the 600 largest North American companies are ultimately selected for the DJSI North America Index.
In 2010, Air Products Received an Award of Merit from the WateReuse Association for Outstanding Water Conservation Efforts for conserving 62 million USgals (234,695.5 m³) of drinking water annually by converting to recycled water for the cooling process at the Santa Clara, California
, manufacturing facility. The award was presented during the 25th Annual WateReuse Symposium. WRA recognizes projects that have advanced the acceptance of water reuse through education
, sound science, and technology using reclamation, recycling
, reuse, or desalination
for the benefit of the public and the environment.
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
whose principal business is selling gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
es and chemicals for industrial uses. Air Products' headquarters is in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Air Products is the Lehigh Valley's third largest employer, after Lehigh Valley Hospital
Lehigh Valley Hospital
Lehigh Valley Hospital, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is the largest hospital in the Lehigh Valley and the flagship hospital of the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network .-Lehigh Valley Health Network:...
and St. Luke's Hospital. Leonard P. Pool founded the company in 1940.
Products
Air Products serves customers in technology, energy, healthcare, food and industrial markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of products, services and solutions. It is a large provider of atmospheric gases (mainly oxygenOxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, argon
Argon
Argon is a chemical element represented by the symbol Ar. Argon has atomic number 18 and is the third element in group 18 of the periodic table . Argon is the third most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere, at 0.93%, making it more common than carbon dioxide...
, hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
and carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
), process and specialty gases, performance materials and chemical intermediates.
Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
materials, refinery hydrogen, natural gas liquefaction, epoxy
Epoxy
Epoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
additives, advanced coatings and adhesives. It is also noted as growing its portfolio of solutions to address the hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
fuel cell
Fuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
economy through hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
fueling stations as well as its personal care
Personal care
Personal care or toiletries is the industry which manufactures consumer products used for beautification and in personal hygiene.-Subsectors:Subsectors of personal care include cosmetics and feminine hygiene....
chemicals business.
Air Products also provided the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...
fuel for the Space Shuttle External Tank
Space Shuttle external tank
A Space Shuttle External Tank is the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contains the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplies the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the three Space Shuttle Main Engines in the orbiter...
. Air Products has had a working relationship with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
for 50 years. In fact, Air Products has supplied all the liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form.To exist as a liquid, H2 must be pressurized above and cooled below hydrogen's Critical point. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without boiling off, it needs to be...
used for every Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
launch and prior Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
and Apollo missions.
Environmental record
In 2009, Air Products was awarded the Rushlight Hydrogen and Fuel Cells industry award for the Series 100 hydrogen fuelling station. The Rushlight Awards celebrate the leading environmental technologies and innovations by organizations throughout the UK and Ireland. The purpose is to promote what is happening in the world of hydrogen and fuel cells to the public and enable further development and funding to be granted toward reducing carbon emissions .On January 27, 2010, Air Products (NYSE: APD) was named a Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes (CIIs) Leader, ranking 17th out of the 300 largest U.S. companies evaluated for their climate-related innovation and carbon management programs. Air Products is currently working on several preeminent carbon capture and storage demonstration projects around the world.
Air Products was included on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index
Dow Jones Sustainability Index
Launched in September 1999, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes are a family of indexes evaluating the performance of the world’s leaders in sustainability. They are the longest-running global sustainability benchmarks worldwide and have become the key reference point in Sustainability Investing...
as one of the best performing sustainable companies for 2010/11. Only the top 20 percent of the 600 largest North American companies are ultimately selected for the DJSI North America Index.
In 2010, Air Products Received an Award of Merit from the WateReuse Association for Outstanding Water Conservation Efforts for conserving 62 million USgals (234,695.5 m³) of drinking water annually by converting to recycled water for the cooling process at the Santa Clara, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, manufacturing facility. The award was presented during the 25th Annual WateReuse Symposium. WRA recognizes projects that have advanced the acceptance of water reuse through education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, sound science, and technology using reclamation, recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, reuse, or desalination
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
for the benefit of the public and the environment.