MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant Catalysts’ role in the so-called “green hydrogen revolution” continues to grow. The company is now participating in Germany’s prestigious TransHyDE project AmmoRef, which is tasked to develop process technologies and catalysts for ammonia cracking to facilitate future hydrogen transport, also for large distances, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
With EUR14 MM in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), AmmoRef is part of the overarching 135-MM-euro TransHyDE project, which aims to revolutionize the nation’s hydrogen transport infrastructure in preparation for a sweeping energy transition. TransHyDE is one of three hydrogen flagship projects aiming to prepare Germany’s entry into a hydrogen economy.
Marvin Estenfelder, Head of R&D at Clariant Catalysts, commented, “We are honored to have joined forces with some of the world’s most talented scientists in supporting Germany’s and the global transformation into a clean hydrogen economy. Clariant has been involved in R&D and cross-industry collaborations in this field for many years, and we have already developed numerous catalysts for use in innovative hydrogen applications. We are confident that together we will make it possible to recover pure hydrogen from ammonia in the scales required for efficient and safe mass transportation of hydrogen.”
Clariant will be collaborating non-exclusively with other prominent partners in academia and industry, amongst others are Prof. Schlogl (Max Planck Institute, Berlin and Muhlheim), Prof. Muhler (Ruhr-University Bochum), Prof. Behrens (University of Kiel), Prof. Lerch (Technical University of Berlin), as well as ThyssenKrupp, and BASF.
Clariant’s role in AmmoRef is to use their knowledge of the chemical reactions and catalytic processes to develop new and improved generations of its existing ammonia cracking catalysts. Furthermore, Clariant provides its benchmark ammonia synthesis catalyst AmoMax 10 Plus, for the synthesis of green ammonia. This project further strengthens Clariant?s position as one of the frontrunners in the ammonia-related new hydrogen economy.
Clariant is also involved in other major projects involving renewable hydrogen value chains. These include the Kopernikus initiative for advancing renewable energy and the Carbon2Chem program to reduce industrial CO2 emissions, both of which are also sponsored by the BMBF. The company offers extensive expertise in hydrogen technologies and a broad portfolio of adsorbents and catalysts for the production, conditioning, and purification of hydrogen and catalysts to convert hydrogen to sustainable chemicals and fuels.
As MRC informed before, Clariant's new AmoMax 10 Plus ammonia synthesis catalyst was successfully started up at the BASF ammonia plant in Antwerp, Belgium. German BASF, the world's petrochemical major and the inventor of the Haber Bosch process, has already installed Clariant's previous catalyst generation, AmoMax 10, at their BASF/Yara joint production plant in Freeport, Texas, USA. Based on the catalyst's highly favorable performance, BASF elected to use a Clariant catalyst again, this time the new AmoMax 10 Plus, which offers an additional boost in activity, stability, and startup speed.
We remind that in October 2020, Clariant announced the construction of a new state-of-the-art catalyst production site in China. This project represents a significant investment which further strengthens Clariant’s position in China and enhances its ability to support its customers in the country’s thriving petrochemicals industry.
The new facility will be primarily responsible for producing the Catofin catalyst for propane dehydrogenation, which is used in the production of olefins such as propylene. Thanks to its excellent reliability and productivity, Catofin delivers superior annual production output compared to alternative technologies, resulting in increased overall profitability for propylene producers, says the company. Construction at the Dushan Port Economic Development Zone in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province was scheduled to commence in Q3 2020, and Clariant expects to be at full production capacity by 2022.
Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
MRC