Development of Ion Transport Membrane (ITM) Oxygen Technology for Integration in IGCC and Other Advanced Power Generation Systems Background Oxygen is among the top five chemicals produced worldwide by volume. In addition to its role in the production of clean power, purified oxygen enables production of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, chemicals, petrochemicals, pulp and paper, glass, and cement, and helps many other processes achieve high production efficiency with low environmental emissions. Oxygen production, second only to nitrogen in scale, is a large part of a global industrial gas industry that generates over $75 billion in annual sale.