Linde North America, a member of The Linde Group, a world leading gases and engineering company, will add a 575 tonne per day nitrogen liquefier, which will capture spare molecules the plant is already producing. The liquefier will have the latest in design technology from Linde Engineering to ensure it uses the least amount of electricity possible.

Mr Pat Murphy president of Linde North America said that "Adding this liquefier is a major step in Linde's modernization goal of making our national network of plants more reliable, sustainable and energy efficient. This kind of continuous improvement helps Linde provide customers with the products they need to keep their businesses operating at peak performance."

The liquefier is scheduled for completion by the second quarter of 2013. It will replace existing nitrogen production from an older Linde air separation plant in the Midwest.

The Delta plant has been operating since 1997, supplying oxygen and argon by pipeline to two adjacent steel producers, and by truck to hospitals and to industrial customers such as welding shops and foundries throughout Ohio. Delta's liquid nitrogen will be delivered by tanker truck to customers in the food processing, metals, chemicals and automotive industries.