FMC Corp – Solvent Recovery Process

FMC’s Mobile site manufactures agricultural chemicals used for insect control and crop protection. The site is located 15 miles north of the city in Axis, AL. A LeMoyne Industrial Park member. It was built by Shell in 1968 and purchased by FMC in 2017. The site’s total size is 500 acres (350 undeveloped) and has an Old Mobile Historic Site on the property.

To produce the agricultural chemicals, FMC must use multiple solvents. The site utilizes a solvent recycle process to reduce consumption of fresh solvent and limit waste generation. In 2019, FMC completed a project to improve the efficiency and capacity of the solvent recovery process that resulted in both reduced manufacturing costs and environmental impact. Through this process, they were able to increase solvent recovery capacity by upwards of 50%.

FMC Mobile expects that they will be able to reduce waste generation overall by 25%. This project will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated from transportation and processing of spent waste.

Both environmentally friendly and cost-efficient, the solvent recovery process performed by FMC Mobile will continue to better both their business and the coastal community of Mobile.