The Rhodia Alsachimie plant in Chalampé (Haut-Rhin) produces nylon salt from adipic acid and adiponitrile.

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, in June 1998, the company organised an "open-doors" weekend. On this occasion, the new N2O unit (treating atmospheric emissions) was inaugurated. The plant will be able to treat its nitrous oxide emissions by converting a part of them into nitric acid, to be reused as a raw material.

Rhodia Alsachimie will thus make an exceptionally large contribution to reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases in France. In fact, taking into account the CO2 equivalent of the N2O emissions, the treatment and the recycling in the form of nitric acid of 60,000 metric tonnes of N2O at Chalampé represent a CO2 emission reduction equivalent to 18 million metric tons, i.e. approximately 5% of the total French emissions of CO2.