MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant has collaborated with Technip Energies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from hydrogen production through its steam methane reforming process, said the company.
Stefan Heuser, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Clariant Catalysts, explained the urgent need for the new technology, stating, “Producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons calls for reducing the CO2 footprint. With EARTH technology, we can make a huge difference by significantly reducing the CO2 footprint of the steam reformer. Moreover, EARTH will not only help producers meet their sustainability targets, but will also greatly improve the productivity and efficiency of their plants."
Stan Knez, Chief Technology Officer at Technip Energies added, “We are very excited to present EARTH in collaboration with our catalyst partner Clariant. It is a key technology of our BlueH2 by T.EN®suite of solutions to achieve more sustainable hydrogen and syngas production the market has been seeking. We look forward to furthering outstanding performance results."
The EARTH system is designed as a drop-in solution, thus it is well suited to both existing and new reformer tubes. It is already in operation in the Akkim hydrogen (HyCO) plant since January 2019 and shows excellent and stable performance. Results to date are outstanding: 20% less CO2 emissions and nearly 40% lower fossil fuel consumption– all at equal hydrogen and CO output.
Clariant and Technip Energies have also been awarded two further contracts for EARTH. In the first of them, Repsol has selected the technology for a 21,000 Nm3/h hydrogen plant in Cartagena, Spain. Scheduled to start up in February 2023, the plant will use multiple feed sources, including natural gas and H2 rich off-gases, as feedstock.
The second assignment is for an upgrade of an existing European hydrogen plant. At either site, the expected results are the same: considerable environmental and economic benefits.
EARTH technology, developed and patented by Technip Energies, comprises a concentric tubular assembly in the steam methane reformer with a structured catalyst loaded in the outer annular space. The setup ensures simultaneously heat recuperation and high conversion rates. The technology uses a newly designed structured catalyst, jointly developed by Clariant and Technip Energies, which offers, next to low pressure drop, maximum activity, and heat transfer. Due to its outstanding stability and mechanical robustness, the catalyst can deliver excellent performance despite the thermal and mechanical stress of the reforming process and the reduced volume of the EARTH catalyst bed.
It has been awarded a further two contracts – by Repsol at a 21,000 Nm3/h (normal cubic metre/hour) hydrogen plant in Cartagena, Spain, scheduled for start-up in February 2023, using natural gas and H2 rich off-gases as feedstock, and in an upgrade of an existing European site.
As per MRC, Clariant says that its board has appointed Conrad Keijzer as the company’s new CEO, effective 1 January 2021. Hariolf Kottmann, Clariant’s executive chairman ad interim, will return to his position as chairman of the board, once Keijzer assumes responsibility.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, 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.
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