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48 min ago 2 min read
Industrial gas major Air Liquide and Vietnam National Chemical Group (Vinachem) will explore upgrades to air separation units (ASUs) at fertiliser plants and opportunities to recover argon under a newly signed strategic cooperation agreement.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the partners plan to review operations at Vinachem’s nitrogen fertiliser production facilities, with the aim of improving industrial efficiency.
The companies will also explore applications for industrial gases and technical solutions in electronics, batteries, materials processing, mining and mineral processing, as well as battery production and recycling.
The agreement also covers technical cooperation on hydrogen and ammonia, including low-carbon and renewable production pathways, alongside opportunities to support industrial decarbonisation.
Potential cooperation could include technical assessments and pre-feasibility studies to evaluate opportunities for upgrading existing facilities and deploying new technologies.
The agreement comes as Vietnam continues to source argon from international suppliers, including China. Vietnam imported around $4.14m worth of argon from China in 2023, equivalent to approximately 3.8 million cubic metres, according to UN Comtrade data compiled by the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution.
The value of Chinese argon exports to Vietnam fell to around $1.07m in 2024, with reported volumes of approximately 1.78 million cubic metres.
gasworld reported a surge in China’s liquid argon prices as supply tightens due to low operating rates at ASUs, post-holiday restocking and export orders.
Argon is produced as a byproduct of air separation, meaning its availability is closely linked to the operation of ASUs primarily used to produce oxygen and nitrogen.
Recovering argon from existing facilities could provide an additional source of the gas for industrial applications, subject to technical and commercial feasibility.
