JM PURASPEC supports the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines

JM’s PURASPEC^TM product, which is primarily used to purify gas streams for food and beverage products, is proving instrumental in the rollout of the vaccines that are helping to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines and pharmaceuticals often need to be kept ultra cold during transport and storage and the COVID-19 vaccines are no exception. One of the first vaccine candidates to be ‘authorised’ must be stored at around -70^oC, which requires a deep freeze during transport. A second candidate must be stored at -20 ^oC. The logistics of distributing these vaccines presents a daunting challenge, especially for shipments to developing countries and hard to reach areas. It’s critical that they remain well preserved from the factory to the patient.

This wouldn’t be possible without dry ice. Made from the by product of purified feed gases from industrial processes such as gas processing, dry ice freezes at around -78 ^oC and can last several days at room temperature. Millions of doses of the vaccine will need to be shipped this year, so it is crucial dry ice manufacturers are able to keep up with fast growing demand.

JM’s PURASPEC includes sulfur removal absorbents, which are used by the gas processing industry to purify many gas streams for food and beverage products as well as for dry ice. This high quality purified feed gas, when is made into dry ice, will play a vital role in the transport of temperature sensitive COVID-19 vaccines. Johnson Matthey high performance PURASPEC sulfur removal absorbents help customers achieve feedstock purity, maximise performance of downstream catalysts and enhance plant operating efficiencies while meeting environmental limits. JM is proud to be playing a role in the vital supply chain of transporting these important vaccines.