Global industrial gases company Praxair will invest over $100 million in its Geismar, Louisiana, facility to expand its carbon monoxide production and support growing customer demand in the Mississippi River corridor, officials announced on Wednesday.

The company will add a new, 13 million standard cubic feet/day carbon monoxide purification train at the site.Carbon monoxide is a raw material in the production of a range of specialty chemicals including those used to produce polyurethanes for the housing and auto industries. 

The facility also includes a new carbon monoxide cold box and other upgrades that leverage proprietary Praxair technologies, and it is expected to be completed in the second half of 2018.

“Our investment will result in increased supply for our customers throughout the region as we continue to see the growth of their own production capabilities,” said Dr. Samir Serhan, president of Praxair's global hydrogen business. “We are committed to serving this accelerating marketplace by expanding our network.”

Hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other gas products required by the local chemical and refining industries were first produced at this site in the early 1970s. In recent years, the Geismar facility has been integrated into a 90-mile hydrogen pipeline network stretching from Baton Rouge to St. Charles, and this latest investment further strengthens Praxair’s ability to serve an important and growing region.

Currently, the facility serves over a dozen customers ranging from world-scale refineries to biofuel companies.