Air Products, the global leader in the production of gas separation and purification membranes, today hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration at the new $70 million expansion of its Missouri Manufacturing and Logistics Center in Maryland Heights, near St. Louis, Missouri.

The expansion, which is Air Products Membrane Solutions' largest ever investment in a single location, is driven by growing product demand in biogas and hydrogen recovery applications, as well as customer needs for the use of nitrogen for the aerospace industry and cleaner fuels for the marine industry.

Products manufactured at the new facility will include the PRISM GreenSep membrane separator for bio-LNG production, and the PRISM N2Sep membrane separator designed to separate nitrogen from compressed air.

"This is a great day for Air Products Membrane Solutions and the area community," said Dr. Erin Sorensen, general manager, Air Products Membrane Solutions. "This expansion of our Maryland Heights facility enables Air Products Membrane Solutions to meet growing customer demand and help our customers work more efficiently and further our collaborative goal of building a cleaner, more productive world."

A crowd of more than 100 guests including state and local leaders joined Air Products Membrane Solutions employees for the event. Those in attendance included programme speakers Walter Nelson, Air Products, President, Equipment Business & Technical Solutions; Kayla Kueckelhan, Deputy Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development; and Mike Moeller, Mayor, Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Air Products has completed more than 70 hires in the region to support the new manufacturing facility. More than 250 employees now work at the facility.

At the event, the Air Products Foundation also announced two grants totalling $30,000 to support non-profits in the St. Louis area. The Air Products Foundation awarded $15,000 to Backstoppers, a non-profit that supports first responders, and $15,000 to The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Air Products Membrane Solutions specialises in the development of hollow fibre membrane separators and systems for onsite gas generation. Air Products Membrane Solutions designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets a full portfolio of PRISM Membrane Separators, Marine Systems, and Engineered-to-Order Systems to protect lives and goods at sea, on land, and in the air. Air Products' systems are also designed to create more sustainable energy sources and raise productivity across a variety of industries and applications.