Uniper to develop syngas plant at Dutch chem site

-German power generation company Uniper plans to develop a syngas project at the Chemelot chemicals production site near Maastricht, Netherlands, said the company.

The project would use a thermal process to treat biomass and then convert it to syngas, which, in turn can replace natural gas in chemical production processes, it said.

The process also produces biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2), which can be used to produce sustainable chemicals.

The project is in the early development phase, with a first operational phase targeted for 2027/2028. The plant could then be scaled up in subsequent years. Project costs were not disclosed.

“Green gas and electrification are possible routes to making chemical production processes more sustainable,” Uniper added.

We remind, Uniper and Shell have awarded contracts for the design studies of the main hydrogen production and carbon capture plant for the proposed Humber H2ub project. The project aims to produce low-carbon hydrogen using gas reformation with carbon capture technology at Uniper’s Killingholme power station site on the South Humber bank in the UK. Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, Shell Catalysts & Technologies and Technip Energies have now been awarded contracts to deliver the process design studies.

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Toray Industries plans to increase production capacity for its Torayfan biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film at Tsuchiura in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture by an additional 40%, as per company.

Last year, the company already completed a capacity expansion at Tsuchiura. However, in view of rising demand for automotive capacitor film from the electric vehicle (EV) sector, more capacity was needed, it said in a statement on Thursday.

The new expansion is expected to be completed in 2025. Costs or capacities in terms of tonnes or pounds per year were not disclosed.

Film capacitors are used in inverter circuits for the power control units of EV motors, among other applications.

With governments around the world moving to restrict sales of internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles, Toray expects that the EV market will grow 20% annually through 2030, it said.

We remind, Toray Industries, Inc., announced that it has developed a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film that combines excellent applicability and adhesion for water-based and solvent-free coatings and can eliminate solvent-derived carbon-dioxide emissions. The company looks to produce the film at a domestic plant by end-March 2024 to help popularize eco-friendly film products for which decarbonization during manufacturing is desirable. These items include release, adhesive, printing, packaging, and automotive films.

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Global chemical company, OQ Chemicals, launches Oxbalance TCD Alcohol DM, a sustainable alternative to conventional TCD Alcohol DM (tricyclodecane dimethanol), said the company.

The ISCC PLUS-certified product is made from more than 70% biobased and biocircular feedstocks. OQ Chemicals recently increased its production capacity for TCD Alcohol DM and is now expanding the application range for this product with the biobased variant.

Due to its special properties, Oxbalance TCD Alcohol DM is suitable for the production of high-performance technical polymers such as polyesters, polycarbonates, and polyurethanes, as well as for use in adhesives, coatings and paints for the food packaging, electronics, and automotive industries.

We remind, OQ Chemicals, successfully starts up its new pilot plant for esters in Oberhausen, Germany, said the company. This state-of-the-art test facility enables the company to manufacture small quantities of esters that are tailored to customer needs for test purposes. The new products can later be produced on a large scale at OQ Chemicals' industrial plants.

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Nigeria's downstream oil regulator has alleged ExxonMobil Corp was involved in the illegal lifting of petroleum products from an offshore terminal, according to a letter of complaint to the petroleum ministry seen by Reuters.

Exxon denied the accusation, saying in an emailed response that its "operations are carried out in full compliance with the law". The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said in the letter that Barumk Gas, a shipping vessel, was lifting butane from the ExxonMobil-controlled Bonny River Terminal without its "authorization or participation".

According to the law, the regulator is the only one allowed to have a key to the oil valve and companies need to be accompanied by a member of the regulatory staff to tap the oil. "The actions of ExxonMobil and Barumk Gas constitute economic sabotage, criminal damage and theft of Nigeria's national resources," NMDPRA Chief Executive Farouk Ahmed said in the letter dated June 8.

He said Barumk Gas should be stopped from sailing out until an investigation was conducted. Refinitiv data showed Barumk Gas was fully loaded at the Bonny Terminal. The Petroleum Ministry and NMDPRA did not respond to requests for comment.

In November last year, a Nigerian court charged 26 men with conspiracy to commit a maritime offence and attempting to illegally deal in crude oil after authorities accused their supertanker of sailing in Nigerian waters without authority.

Oil majors in Nigeria have in the past been forced to halt output following the illegal tapping of pipelines.

We remind, Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC Ltd is winding down crude swap contracts with traders and will pay cash for gasoline imports, its chief executive told Reuters, adding that private companies could begin importing petrol as soon as this month. The move is part of new Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's plans to deregulate the gasoline market and reduce the burden on government finances. Tinubu has already scrapped a costly fuel subsidy, effective from last Tuesday, a decision which tripled petrol prices, angering labor unions who have called for a strike starting on Wednesday if the decision is not reversed.

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NETL researchers are growing versatile biocatalysts using microbes from a coalbed methane (CBM) well to convert industrial carbon dioxide wastes and other single-carbon compounds into useful chemicals to manufacture biofuel, food additives and other high-value products while reducing emissions of greenhouse gas, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In testing completed at NETL, researchers found the microbes from the CBM well, which was drilled in an Appalachian coal seam as part of a mining operation, generated a biocatalyst that outperformed other biocatalysts from microbes collected at oil and natural gas well sites and other locations.

“Microorganisms have a diverse metabolism and can drive many chemical reactions,” said NETL’s Djuna Gulliver, an environmental engineer. “However, when they are grown and enriched in our laboratory, they can serve as highly capable tools that convert CO2 to acetate, an inexpensive chemical that has a wide range of uses."

The recently developed biocatalyst converts the CO2 feedstock into what Gulliver calls “bio-acetate,” which can then be used to produce food additives, a pickling agent, a laboratory reagent and other useful products. It also can act as a feedstock to be further converted into butanol, a biofuel. Butanol is often referred to as a “drop-in fuel” because it can be directly substituted for fossil fuels without the need for costly engine modifications.

The biocatalysts generated from the CBM well microbes demonstrated other unique properties. Researchers found they possessed exceptional versatility and could also convert carbon monoxide, formate and methanol feedstocks to bio-acetate.

Work is underway to scale up the production of the new biocatalysts by adding yeast, nitrogen and other nutrients and enriching the biocatalysts in reactors. Experiments focused on temperature and other variables to optimize operating parameters have been completed.

Additional work is focused on DNA sequencing to better understand and characterize the microbes from the CBM well. The results of the sequencing will help the team identify microbes with similar properties and capabilities.

The use and development of biocatalysts is an area of NETL expertise. “We have characterized microbes from coalbed formation water, shale gas production fluid and other sources, so we recognized the CBM well microbes would provide a good base to develop an effective biocatalyst,” Gulliver said.

Researchers also needed to determine how the versatile biocatalysts will fit in the marketplace. To answer that question, NETL completed a techno-economic analysis that found the biocatalyst’s adaptability to convert a variety of feedstocks or a feedstock with mixed carbon compounds to useful products fills an important market need.

We remind, EU-funded membrane and catalyst project from Evonik has received positive interim evaluation from the Commission. The project is the largest EU-funded project coordinated by Evonik, and mechanical completion of the demonstration plant in Marl, Germany, is scheduled for the third quarter. Auditors were satisfied with the progress of the Membrane and Catalysts Beyond Economic and Technological Hurdles (MACBETH) project, which was launched in 2020.

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