Technip Energies and LanzaTech to collaborate on CO2-to-ethylene tech

Technip Energies and LanzaTech Global, Inc. signed a Joint Collaboration Agreement to create a new pathway to sustainable ethylene utilizing their combined technologies, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Together LanzaTech’s carbon capture and utilization technology with Technip Energies’ Hummingbird technology transform waste carbon into ethylene, the most common building block in petrochemicals.

Ethylene is a building block for thousands of chemicals and materials, including plastics, detergents, and coatings that keep hospitals sterile, people safe, and food fresh. Its traditional production process is also one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the chemical industry and remains one of its most challenging processes to decarbonize. This new joint process uses carbon emissions as the starting point rather than virgin fossil carbon. First, up to 95% of the CO2 in the flue gas is captured from the furnaces of an ethylene cracker and mixed with hydrogen. Next LanzaTech’s biorecycling technology transforms the captured waste carbon into ethanol. Finally, Technip Energies’ Hummingbird technology dehydrates the ethanol to ethylene.

Technip Energies and LanzaTech have collaborated on other sustainable solutions since 2020, including a partnership with Borealis and On, the Swiss running shoe company, to make EVA foam for the sole of running shoes. Technip Energies also partners with LanzaJet, an independent company formed and spun off by LanzaTech, which includes the Hummingbird technology in the LanzaJet Alcohol-to-Jet process which makes sustainable aviation fuel from ethanol.

Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip Energies, stated: “We are very pleased to work with LanzaTech on another sustainable solution, this time to decarbonize ethylene. This breakthrough technology will not only capture carbon but will use it to make a valuable end product."

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, said: “By combining and integrating our process with that of Technip Energies, we have the potential to retrofit onto ethylene crackers around the world, supporting decarbonization of a sector that has limited choices today. The sustainable production of one of the most used commodity chemicals will have an impact on the lives of billions of people daily. Through partnerships such as this one with Technip Energies, we are creating meaningful pathways to break free from virgin fossil inputs for the things we use in our daily lives.”

We remind, Technip Energies has been awarded a contract by Ningbo Juhua Chemical & Science Co., Ltd. (Juhua) for a 1,3-propanediol (PDO) plant with a capacity of 72 kta(1) and a 150 kta polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.

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Hydrogen firm Thyssenkrupp Nucera's added 445 million euros (USD487 million) in market capitalisation in its Frankfurt market debut on Friday, in what marks Germany's largest initial public offering (IPO) so far this year, said Reuters.

In an encouraging sign for Europe's capital markets, which were hit by market volatility in the first half of 2023, the shares rose as much as 23.4% from their issue price of 20 euros.

They closed at 23.52 euros, giving the joint venture between Germany's Thyssenkrupp (TKAG.DE) and Italy's De Nora (DNR.MI) a 2.98 billion euro market value.

Both companies will remain shareholders in Nucera, with Thyssenkrupp owning 50.2% and De Nora 25.9%, down from a pre-IPO ownership split of 66% and 34%. "The IPO is the start of an exciting new phase in our company's history," Nucera CEO Werner Ponikwar said during the Frankfurt Stock Exchange opening ceremony, adding that the firm would help "accelerate the adoption of green hydrogen".

Unlike most recent European IPOs, Nucera is seeing its shares hold up in secondary trading, suggesting investor appetite for new issues may be coming back after rocketing interest rates all but froze the market last year. Energy transition has been a theme in recent European IPOs, including EuroGroup Laminations (EGLA.MI) in Italy and Hidroelectrica in Romania.

We remind, BASF and thyssenkrupp Uhde today announced their cooperation in the marketing and further development of catalyst and process design for thyssenkrupp Uhde’s leading EnviNOx technology for N2O and NOx abatement. BASF will supply its high-performance catalysts to thyssenkrupp Uhde, enabling their customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even more effectively. EnviNOx reliably removes more than 99% of all N2O and NOx emissions, as at BASF’s site in Ludwigshafen, where a new unit successfully started up in the second half of 2022.

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German chemical group Evonik Industries has reported weaker-than-expected preliminary Q2 results and lowered its full-year financial guidance due to the ongoing economic recovery slowdown, said Echemi.

The company now expects its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) to be between EUR1.6bn (USD1.8bn) and EUR1.8bn for the year, down from its previous guidance of EUR2.1bn to EUR2.4bn for 2023. Evonik has attributed the decline in performance to the continuing weak demand in its end markets, which has affected a long list of European chemical companies in Q2.

Despite the disappointing news, Evonik's Q2 adjusted EBITDA of EUR430m to EUR450m is in line with market expectations of EUR448m. The company is a market leader in the production of amino acids for animal feed. In April, Evonik announced that it would cut 200 jobs in its pet food division as part of its plan to streamline its high-profit animal nutrition business.

The final Q2 results will be released on August 10. Evonik is not alone in its struggles, as other chemical companies have also lowered their guidance due to weak demand.

We remind, Covestro and Evonik as well as the consulting firm Accenture invited managers from production and technology divisions of Bayer, Clariant, Wacker, Shell, Lanxess and other companies to a two-day Chemicals Peer Exchange for the fourth time.

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Clariant announced that the new AmoMax-Casale catalyst, developed in collaboration with Casale, has been successfully utilized in Nutrien's plants in Trinidad and Tobago, Mosaic's plant in Louisiana, USA, and Yara's plant in the Netherlands, said Echemi.

Han Jie'an, Vice President of Clariant's Catalyst Business Unit for Synthesis Gas and Fuels, stated, "Ammonia will play a crucial role in future hydrogen energy ecosystems, and high catalytic activity and energy-efficient ammonia synthesis catalysts are essential for accelerating the achievement of net-zero emissions. AmoMax-Casale will also play a decisive role in promoting energy transition."

It is reported that AmoMax-Casale is a customized improvement based on Clariant's well-recognized AmoMax 10 catalyst, which has a successful operational track record in over 120 installations worldwide. The new AmoMax-Casale catalyst has been specifically optimized for Casale's reactor design, further increasing its efficiency index by up to 30% compared to AmoMax 10. In 2021, the AmoMax-Casale catalyst achieved its first commercial operation in Nutrien's ammonia plant in Trinidad and Tobago.

The plant has already achieved annual energy cost savings of approximately $500,000 and a reduction of 4,700 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The second customer of AmoMax-Casale is Mosaic's plant in Louisiana, USA. After the modification of their ammonia plant, significant improvements were observed, including a decrease in operating pressure by approximately 12% and an increase in ammonia concentration at the reactor outlet by around 9%, showcasing the excellent performance of the catalyst and the new reactor.

We remind, Clariant, a focused, sustainable, and innovative specialty chemical company, announced the completion of the divestment of its North American Land Oil business to Dorf Ketal, a specialty chemicals manufacturer and service provider headquartered in India, for USD 14.5 million on 31 March 2023. Clariant’s North American Land Oil business is a provider of chemical technologies and services to the North American oil and gas industry and generated sales of USD 115 million in 2022.

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The chemical site in Lulsdorf near Cologne now officially belongs to the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), said the company.

The sale of the site, which was announced at the beginning of April, was completed June 30 after the necessary approvals were obtained from the antitrust authorities, among others. Along with the Lulsdorf site, the associated cyanuric chloride business in Wesseling has also been transferred to ICIG.

The businesses were previously part of Evonik's Performance Materials Division. With their sale, Evonik has implemented the first step in divesting all three parts of the division. ICIG is taking over the more than 600 employees and all production facilities. Extensive protective rights have been agreed for employees.

Evonik had begun preparing for the sale in the fall of 2021. The preferred solution from the outset was to sell the site whole to a new owner. With ICIG, Evonik chose an experienced chemical investor with extensive expertise in site development. ICIG is already active with subsidiaries in the chlorine chemicals and specialty chemicals industries and plans to further expand the Lulsdorf site and the acquired businesses.

We remind, Evonik has acquired Novachem, an Argentinian sustainable cosmetic actives innovator. Novachem offers a strong, innovative portfolio of biotechnological, natural and sustainable cosmetic active ingredients with scientifically proven claims that will boost Evonik’s portfolio of System Solutions. The company is based in Buenos Aires in Argentina and has 20 employees. Signing and closing took place on 30 June 2023, subject to official approval by the authorities.


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