Arkema has successfully installed giant columns at its Carling acrylic acid plant (France). The installation marks the first stage of an extraordinary project, which began in 2024 and required years of preparation.

This large-scale industrial project (€130 million investment) involves the construction of a new unit with an innovative acrylic acid purification process, which will improve energy efficiency (by 25%) and the carbon intensity of operations (by 20%), optimize resource and waste management, while increasing the site's production capacity.

The scale of the project is such that it is comparable to building a plant within a plant! At least one hundred employees (out of a total of 385 on site) are currently mobilized, and a peak of 200 workers is expected, including external contractors from numerous trades and experts: pipefitters, mechanics, electricians, and industrial IT specialists.

Transporting the 60-meter-long columns, each weighing 150 tons, onto the platform was already a major challenge. The next operation of lifting and installing these columns was a delicate phase that went perfectly: this is the first concrete stage of the new distillation unit, which will come online in 2026.

Arkema Carling plays a leading role in the acrylics market (the second largest chemical company in the world in terms of installed capacity in Europe, the United States, and Asia). Acrylic monomers, the Carling plant's specialty, are essential compounds in the design of many everyday objects. They are used to manufacture the metal coatings for laptops and tablets, paints, adhesives, super absorbents (for diapers), and flocculation agents for water treatment.