Maire’s Nextchem and Dimeta to unlock the potential of low-carbon DME production

MyRechemical, part of the Sustainable Technology Solutions business unit led by NEXTCHEM, and Dimeta B.V. have agreed to carry out a study to explore the feasibility for the development of plants to produce renewable and recycled carbon Dimethyl Ether (DME), a low-carbon sustainable liquid gas from waste, that can be used as a clean-burning fuel, based on MyRechemical’s Waste-to-Chemicals technologies and expertise, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The study will assess the regulatory environment and carry out a market analysis of available feedstock and product enhancement in Europe, with a focus on Italy. Based on the results of the study, MyRechemical and Dimeta will work then to define the best development strategy for project implementation.

DME is an innovative fuel and a sustainable alternative for LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) able to support all thermal uses not served by the natural gas network and for LPG-powered cars. When blended with LPG, low-carbon DME can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and decarbonize the off-grid sector with no changes to LPG appliances or infrastructure. It can also achieve carbon neutrality when carbon capture is used.

Within NextChem’s technology portfolio, the Waste to Chemical process developed by MyRechemical can convert municipal solid waste to methanol and then to DME, meeting the needs of the circular economy to decarbonize many industries and sectors, including transportation.

The feasibility study is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February between MyRechemical and Dimeta, a Dutch company created to advance the production and use of renewable and recycled carbon DME. Dimeta, a joint venture between SHV Energy and UGI International, aims to produce 300,000 tons of DME by the end of 2027, establishing plants in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Giacomo Rispoli, Managing Director of MyRechemical: “With this feasibility study, which adds on the initiatives we are conducting on circular ethanol, methanol and hydrogen, we look forward to investigating the exciting market opportunities offered by the application of our proven Waste Gasification technology to the production of DME. We are pleased that our MoU with Dimeta is already moving forward with this first concrete result.”

Frankie Ugboma, Dimeta Chief Executive "We are delighted to announce our continued progress in building upon the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as we embark on our next endeavor to reduce carbon emissions. Through the initiation of pre-feasibility studies, we aim to produce Renewable & Recycled Carbon DME from waste, to decarbonize the off-grid sector. Dimeta remains steadfast in our efforts to achieve Net Zero by 2050, and this is a significant step towards our goal."

We remind, OCI Global, the world’s third largest nitrogen fertilizer and ammonia producer, is supplying Rohm, a leading manufacturer of methacrylates, with bio-ammonia for the production of methyl methacrylate (MMA), an important precursor for PLEXIGLAS - the world’s most popular brand of acrylic glass.

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BASF, a globally leading battery materials producer, and SK On, a globally leading electric vehicle battery cell manufacturer, have entered into an agreement to jointly evaluate collaboration opportunities in the global lithium-ion battery market focused on North America and Asia-Pacific, said the company.

The collaboration brings together strong business and product development capabilities to develop industry-leading battery materials for lithium-ion batteries. Initially, BASF and SK On will focus on evaluating collaboration options for cathode active materials (CAM) production. Further details on the collaboration will be revealed at a later stage.

Additional collaboration opportunities along the battery materials value chain will be evaluated subsequently, including battery recycling. By leveraging their respective expertise, BASF and SK On aim to develop innovative solutions to support their strong growth ambitions.

Sustainability plays a key role for both companies in line with the principles of the “Value Balancing Alliance,” which is working on a global standard for measuring a company’s social, economic, and environmental contribution and translating environmental and social impacts into comparable financial data.

“With the collaboration with SK On, we are further strengthening our market position to serve battery manufacturers and electric vehicle producers around the world.” said Dr. Peter Schuhmacher, President of BASF’s Catalysts division, who is also responsible for the company’s battery materials and battery recycling business. “We want to address the need for more sustainable solutions for the electric vehicle industry. And we are ready to work with our customers and partners in all regions to make this a reality.”

“The collaboration with BASF is part of our efforts to bolster battery materials supply chain,” said Jee Dong-seob, President and Chief Executive Officer of SK On. “We look forward to expand our partnership to lead the global EV battery market.”

We remind, BASF and Teamplas Group, a leading manufacturer of recycled pellets in Southeast Asia, have collaborated to transform post-consumer waste into new high-quality office equipment and car interior parts with the help of BASF’s IrgaCycle.

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OCI Global, the world’s third largest nitrogen fertilizer and ammonia producer, is supplying Rohm, a leading manufacturer of methacrylates, with bio-ammonia for the production of methyl methacrylate (MMA), an important precursor for PLEXIGLAS - the world’s most popular brand of acrylic glass, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This week, OCI Global delivered a shipment of bio-ammonia to Rohm in a pioneering step to help reduce the carbon footprint of essential and everyday products that rely on MMA, including compounds for cars, airplane windows, building, glazing and dental products. The partnership demonstrates the viability of lower carbon ammonia in industrial processes, supporting downstream decarbonization to other industries and ultimately end consumers.

The delivery of OCI Global’s bio-ammonia to Rohm was witnessed by His Majesty King Willem- Alexander of the Netherlands as part his tour of hydrogen projects in the region, demonstrating the hydrogen corridor connecting Port of Rotterdam to other regions and inland ports, such as duisport, to supply hydrogen products into Europe.

OCI Global is the only producer of ISCC PLUS certified bio-ammonia in Europe and the US today. OCI’s bio-ammonia uses biomethane from waste and residues of biological origin as well as biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste as feedstock. The result is a GHG reduction of >70% compared to conventional grey ammonia production, which uses a fossil-based feedstock.

Ahmed El-Hoshy, CEO, OCI Global said: “OCI is already leading the industry in scaling up the supply of renewable and lower carbon ammonia and methanol at our nine facilities globally, in the US and Europe and, through Fertiglobe, our strategic partnership with ADNOC, the MENA region. This delivery of our bio-ammonia shows our pivotal role in developing the hydrogen corridor to enable the supply of lower carbon ammonia across Europe, from the Port of Rotterdam. Through partnerships with other industry leaders like Rohm, we’re able to continue to make first-moves prove the case for lower carbon products in existing value chains, and we’re excited about the opportunity we have ahead of us to work with other industrial customers to do this. The industrial sector represents around 20% of the global ammonia market today. By converting this sector to lower carbon ammonia, we can help to create a future that allows for the continued production of essential downstream products in a sustainable way.

Hans-Peter Hauck, COO at Rohm said: “Rohm as a global manufacturer of methylmethacrylate products such as PLEXIGLAS is committed to its ambitious climate agenda and targets to achieve a GHG reduction of 30% by 2030. Ammonia is a central feedstock for the manufacture of these methacrylic products such as Plexiglas, Degalan and Degaroute roadmarkings. We therefore are excited to join this partnership and take a significant step towards the decarbonization of our processes and products. A low carbon alternative of ammonia made from biogas allows us to manufacture in our ISCC PLUS certified plants Methacrylate based monomers, molding compounds and resins, in order to deliver sustainable products and solutions for our customers in the industries we serve. We are committed to driving the sustainable transformation forward and are convinced that this change can only be successfully accomplished by partnerships and close cooperation along the value chain”.

OCI and Rohm have shared values around sustainability and breaking new ground in their respective sectors. Earlier this year, OCI Global announced it had begun supplying bio-ammonia in the food and drinks sector, supporting the production of lower carbon wheat and barley malt. OCI is also tripling capacity at its ammonia import terminal in Rotterdam in readiness for increased demand for lower carbon ammonia to support new markets, such as use as a shipping fuel and in the power sector.

Rohm produces MMA at its European sites in Worms and Wesseling as well as in the USA and China. At its Bay City site in Texas, the company is currently building a MMA plant, where it will introduce its new production technology LiMA that will enable the manufacture of methacrylatemonomers with a significantly lower product carbon footprint and improved environmental impact. In addition to new production technologies, Rohm also introduced an environmentally friendly product range “pro Terra” that is based on recycled high-performance materials with a reduced carbon footprint.

We remind, North American chemical rail traffic rose for a 10th consecutive week, with railcar loadings for the week ended 21 October up 3.7% year on year to 45,549, according to Association of American Railroads. For the first 42 weeks of 2023 ended 21 October, North American chemical rail traffic was down 1.0% year on year to 1,903,429 - with the US down 2.2% to 1,307,333.

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North American chemical rail traffic rose for a 10th consecutive week, with railcar loadings for the week ended 21 October up 3.7% year on year to 45,549, according to Association of American Railroads.

For the first 42 weeks of 2023 ended 21 October, North American chemical rail traffic was down 1.0% year on year to 1,903,429 - with the US down 2.2% to 1,307,333.

In the US, chemical railcar loadings represent about 20% of chemical transportation by tonnage, with trucks, barges and pipelines carrying the rest. In Canada, chemical producers rely on rail to ship more than 70% of their products, with some exclusively using rail.

We remind, North American chemical rail traffic rose for a seventh consecutive week, with railcar loadings for the week ended 30 September up 3.6% year on year to 45,804. A 7.3% increase in the US more than offset declines in Canada and Mexico.

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ExxonMobil is planning to invest up to $15bn in a greenfield petrochemical project as well as new carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities in Indonesia, the country's President Joko Widodo said on Thursday.

The Indonesian government earlier this week signed an agreement with ExxonMobil to study the possibility of the petrochemical project which would include polymer production units.

Exxon and Indonesian state energy firm Pertamina also signed an agreement to evaluate investments in CCS facilities offshore of Java island, Indonesia.

In a post made on X, formerly known as Twitter, Joko Widodo said that he met with ExxonMobil chairman Darren Woods on 15 November during a trip to the US for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to discuss the two projects.

The Indonesian president added that he has also invited ExxonMobil to invest in green energy and infrastructure development in Indonesia.

We remind, Exxon Mobil moved up the start date for a CDU overhaul at its 619,024-bpd Beaumont, Texas, refinery from August 2024 to June 2024, said people familiar with the company’s plans. Exxon continues to plan to shut the 65,000-bpd diesel-producing hydrocracker in January for an overhaul, during which the 80,000-bpd reformer will also be shut for work, according to the sources.

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