(BASF) -- The Japanese companies JGC Corporation and I NPEX Corporation jointly with BASF SE have successfully completed tests of a new technology for the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas under high pressure . The performance of this new gas treatment technology enables a reduction of 25 to 35 percent in the cost of CO2 recovery and compression.
The so-called ⌠High Pressure Acid gas Capture Technology (HiPACT) was developed by JGC and BASF. ⌠ INPEX strives to reduce energy consumption as much as possible. This new technology offers a great opportunity to improve energy conservation. It also reduces our carbon footprint and helps curb greenhouse gas emissions, added Mr. Kazuo Yamamoto , Executive Officer and Vice President of the Technical Division at I NPEX .
Natural gas, an increasingly important source of energy, often contains CO2 when it is extracted from the well. Most of this CO2 is usually removed directly at the natural-gas source. Th e removal is achieved by means of an amine-based solvent developed by BASF. The solvent temporarily absorbs the CO2 from the high-pressure natural gas stream. The solvent is then regenerated at low pressure and fed back to the process , but this regeneration requires energy . Traditionally the CO2 released in the regeneration process has been emitted to the environment.