CLEARFIELD – A spin-off industry from Bionol Clearfield’s ethanol plant is under development in Clearfield Borough.
On Thursday night a representative from Air Liquide and a representative from Gannett Fleming Inc. gave a presentation during council’s committees meeting. Air Liquide is a world player in gases for industry, health and environment. In the United States, they have 200 locations, and are looking to add one more in Clearfield Borough.
The plant will be located adjacent to Bionol Clearfield. According to Karla Coudriet of Gannett Fleming, Air Liquide is looking to construct a carbon dioxide recovery plant. The plant will include a production facility, offices and holding tanks. A pipeline will funnel carbon dioxide, a biproduct of ethanol production that normally is released into the atmosphere, to the CO2 plant. The facility will compress and cool the gas, liquefy it and distill it to remove impurities. The finished product is shipped via truck or train.
Carbon dioxide can be used to make carbonated beverages, to make dry ice and to refrigerate certain perishables.
Coudriet said the project is still in the sketch phase and that stormwater work is being worked on as well.
Clearfield Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said the company will need to apply for a setback variance and that Clay Street may need to be moved.
“Air Liquide wants to be friends in making that happen,” said Stott.
Council member Jim Kling asked how many trucks would be coming to and leaving from the facility. Project Manager Bill Spitzer said that if they only used trucks, which they won’t, it would be 20-22 per day. Stott said that after hearing that number, the borough would require the company to have a traffic control study conducted.
He was also asked what the annoying noise level might be.
“We don’t anticipate annoying noise levels,” said Spitzer. He noted the plant will employ four direct employees, and five-10 drivers. He stated that that number did not include maintenance personnel.
Kling also asked Spitzer where the construction workforce would originate from. Spitzer said they would utilize a general contractor they were familiar with, but would also utilize local workers in the building process.
Council member Fred Wisor was in favor of the project, as were the members of the Planning and Community Development committee. The committee voted to approve the proposed land development plan and send it on for full council consideration.
“Anything is better than what we have,” said Wisor.
Construction on the project is expected to begin later this year, with completion about a year after.