ABSTRACT
How is oxygen manufactured?
The most common method of manufacturing oxygen commercially is by the fractional distillation of liquefied air. This method produces oxygen which is over 99% pure.
Alternatively, oxygen concentrators containing zeolite adsorbents can be used. Zeolite selectively adsorbs nitrogen and so delivers oxygen that is 90–93% pure. The major contaminant is argon. Oxygen concentrators are commonly used in aircraft, submarines, military field hospitals and at home.