How medical grade oxygen is produced? | Oxygen crisis is India

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  • During the recent days, we have seen news that there is lack of medical grade oxygen to treat the covid-19 patients in India. 
  • Medical grade oxygen, or the oxygen used by hospitals and clinics is used to treat various illness(like Covid-19), that cause oxygen levels in the body to drop. 
  • The air we breathe has only 21 per cent oxygen that is filtered by our lungs. 
  • Medical grade oxygen is highly concentrated and it can be obtained in several ways.

 

  • First method is by liquifying air through a process called cryogenic distillation. 
  • In this method, oxygen is produced in air separation plants, where the air is cooled, and the oxygen is distilled based on its boiling point. 
  • Liquified air also separates into argon and nitrogen through the same method.

 

  • Second method of producing oxygen is from air itself, by a machine called, oxygen concentrator. 
  • An oxygen concentrator is a self-contained, electrically powered medical device, designed to concentrate oxygen from ambient air.

 

  • The third method of oxygen generation is through pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants. 
  • A PSA oxygen plant employs a technology, that absorbs nitrogen from ambient air, to concentrate oxygen for supply to hospitals. 
  • They operate at near-ambient temperatures and use specific adsorbent materials (that trap a substance on their surface) like zeolites, activated carbon, molecular sieves etc., to trap oxygen at high pressure.
  • The cost of setting up a PSA plant, is approximately Rupees 33 lakh, while the cost of an oxygen cylinder can range anywhere between Rupees 6,000 and Rupees 8,000. 
  • An oxygen concentrator is priced between Rupees 40,000 and Rupees 90,000.

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