# Argon: Production route

Why only the biggest oxygen plants can make argon

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/routes/

What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.

Argon is only recovered from air. It boils between nitrogen and oxygen, so it concentrates in the oxygen column of a cryogenic ASU, where a side column draws it off. Small ASUs and PSA plants do not recover it. Some argon is also recovered from ammonia plant purge gas, where it builds up in the synthesis loop. Supply therefore follows oxygen-plant investment in steel, chemicals and gasification.

#### Routes compared

| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Cryogenic ASU with argon column** | almost all world argon (indicative) | allocated share of ASU power; about 0.3-0.6 MWh per t liquid argon on a mass or value allocation (indicative) | typically 20-200 t argon a day from a large ASU (indicative) | argon recovery about 80-95% of argon in feed air (indicative) | argon is the by-product of oxygen and nitrogen | not published; priced on market, not cost |
| **Recovery from ammonia plant purge gas** | small (indicative) | not published | small, tied to ammonia plants | not published | hydrogen recovered to the loop | not published |

#### How each route works
**Cryogenic ASU with argon column**

A side-draw from the low-pressure oxygen column, rich in argon, is distilled in a crude argon column, then refined in a pure argon column or by catalytic removal of oxygen with hydrogen. Recovery depends on column design.

Only practical route; supply cannot respond to argon prices on its own.
 USGS MCS 2026; indicative energy and scale **Recovery from ammonia plant purge gas**

Argon enters the ammonia loop with process air and is purged with methane and hydrogen. Cryogenic purge-gas units can separate it.

Adds supply near ammonia plants; limited volume.
 industry practice (indicative) Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/argon/links/index.md)