Nextchem awarded a process design contract by DG Fuels for a bio-waste to SAF facility in the U.S.

MAIRE S.p.A. announces that NEXTCHEM, through its subsidiary MyRechemical, leading the Waste-to-Chemical segment, has been selected by DG Fuels Lousiana to provide the Process Design Package in relation to a SAF facility under development in St. James Parish, Louisiana (U.S.), said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The plant, expected to be operational in 2028, will produce 350,000 tons per year of SAF derived from biomasses and waste resources. MyRechemical has been selected as technology licensor in relation to a gasification unit and a gas treatment unit able to process 1,000,000 tons per year of bagasse and sugar cane trash and pulp, representing the first step for SAF production.

The gasification technology and the know-how to transform synthetic gas into valuable products play a pivotal role within NEXTCHEM’s technology portfolio, making MAIRE a key player to enable the decarbonization of the world’s industries through the circular economy. Contributing to a sustainable mobility with the use of a wide range of clean fuel solutions, including the valorization of agricultural waste is, in fact, one of MAIRE’s main objectives as envisaged in its business plan.

DG Fuels (the parent of DG Fuels Louisiana) is a U.S. company engaged in renewable hydrogen and biogenic based, synthetic low emissions aviation fuel. The company has established several partnerships and offtake agreements with major global airlines and is currently developing its first SAF facility. The project meets the requirements set in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Clean Fuels & Products Shot initiative aimed at decarbonizing the aviation sector through the industrialization of SAF. Additionally, SAF derived from biomass or waste resources is eligible under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to reduce the carbon offsetting requirements of airlines.

Alessandro Bernini, MAIRE CEO, commented: “The award is a strong recognition of our efforts to implement and industrialize the waste-to-chemicals solutions developed by NEXTCHEM. The industry is rewarding our expertise and commitment to technologies that support the global decarbonization roadmap. Having been selected for this strategic project confirms that our technology is best positioned in a competitive market such as the US, where circularity is playing a key role in achieving carbon footprint reduction targets”.

We remind, 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.

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Cepsa is extending its discounts of 10 cents per liter for private and professional customers until January 15 through its Cepsa GOW and Starressa programs, said the company.

The promotion, which has been enthusiastically received by users since it launched in late October, may be used for any type of fuel (gasoline, diesel, and LPG) and is available at the 1,500 establishments that comprise Cepsa's network of service stations in Spain. To participate, customers who are members of Cepsa's loyalty programs will only have to identify themselves with the Cepsa GOW app, their Starressa card, or by presenting their ID card.

Also, the users who sign up for Cepsa GOW and Starressa before January 15 will get a €10 welcome discount. Any customer who wishes to join the Cepsa loyalty program can do so easily and free of charge, through the web page, the Cepsa GOW app, or at the point of sale. For Cepsa GOW, you can even immediately use it once registered.

With this promotion, individual drivers will earn a higher balance in the Cepsa GOW loyalty program, which they can then redeem to buy gas, in-store purchases, or to wash their vehicles at Cepsa Service Stations. In addition, these discounts are compatible with Cepsa's savings programs with Wizink and Carrefour, by presenting the cards together. Meanwhile, professional customers will receive a direct welcome discount of €10 and 10 cents per liter on gas, in addition to the benefits offered by the Starressa program for carriers and fleets.

We remind, Cepsa, which is owned by Mubadala and Carlyle, and C2X, an independent company majority owned by A.P. Moller Holding with A.P. Moller – Maersk as minority owner, announce a joint ambition to develop a green methanol plant in the port of Huelva, southern Spain.

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Lummus Technology announced it has signed a Strategic Supply Agreement with NET Power Inc. to design and supply recuperative heat exchangers for NET Power's near-zero emissions power generation process, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The HXR recovers energy from the turboexpander exhaust and air separation unit to reheat recirculated CO2, making it one of the most important equipment components in the NET Power Cycle.

"Lummus is proud to partner with NET Power, which has developed a way to efficiently and effectively produce electricity that is clean and economical," said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lummus Technology. "The NET Power Cycle system combines seamlessly with our advanced heat exchanger technology to minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions. We look forward to working with NET Power to deliver low carbon power and help them expand their offering to consumers around the world."

As the licensed NET Power HXR supplier, Lummus will provide HXR systems for NET Power's utility-scale power plants. Upon completing the Project Permian Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), NET Power intends to issue a purchase order to Lummus for its first utility-scale power plant in Texas. Under the terms of the Strategic Supply Agreement, Lummus intends to leverage its global supply chain network to increase global HXR manufacturing capacity, enabling NET Power deployments at scale to help countries and communities around the world rapidly achieve their energy and environmental goals.

"This Strategic Supply Agreement marks an important milestone in implementing NET Power's three-pillared strategy of proving our technology, building our backlog, and manufacturing for scale," said Brian Allen, President and COO of NET Power. "Lummus' expertise in licensed technology as well as designing equipment for proprietary processes makes them an ideal strategic supplier to enable NET Power to deliver the energy trifecta."

Lummus has provided process industries worldwide with licensed technologies for more than 100 years. During that time, Lummus has designed and supplied more than 25,000 heat exchangers, including high pressure applications. The NET Power Cycle HXR leverages Lummus' decades of experience in heat transfer equipment design and delivery for proprietary systems.

NET Power's transformational technology produces power while inherently capturing nearly all emissions with its patented oxy-fuel combustion and supercritical CO2 cycle. NET Power seeks to deploy utility-scale plants that produce clean, on-demand power at low cost and address critical issues of air quality and land use, virtually eliminating air emissions including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2).

We remind, Lummus Technology and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation announced a master collaboration agreement to jointly pursue carbon capture projects. Lummus will provide its post-combustion carbon capture technology and Toshiba will provide its advanced amine-based solvents specifically tailored for post-combustion carbon capture and its system design guidelines optimized for Toshiba's solvents.

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Clariant cut its full year earnings guidance after it said it would close its bioethanol plant in Romania and downsize its operations in Germany, said Reuters.

The Swiss company said 120 jobs would go with the closure of the Podari facility in southern Romania, while another 50 would be cut at its biofuels and derivatives operations at Straubing, Planegg and Munich in Germany. Podari was designed to convert 250,000 tons of straw into cellulosic ethanol, a product used to make laundry detergents, cleaning agents and products used in industry and personal and home care.

But the facility, opened by Clariant in 2021, ran up losses after technical problems such as bottlenecks meant its production never reached full capacity, Clariant CEO Konrad Keijzer told reporters. "We had a 50,000 ton capacity plant and couldn't get it to run anywhere close to capacity," he said. "The economics were not there.

"The demand for second generation biofuel is there, the commercial side of this business case is very attractive and remains very attractive," he added. "There is a strong demand, but we had technical problems." Podari had run up losses of 77 million Swiss francs ($88.06 million) since the third quarter of 2022, Chief Financial Officer Bill Collins said.

Clariant said it expected a negative impact on its 2023 operating profit of 170 to 200 million francs from the decision, including in a 60-90 million reduction in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). As a result, the company reduced its guidance for 2023 EBITDA to 570 to 600 million from 650 to 700 million previously.

We remind, Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, today announced the favorable adoption and excellent performance of its digital service platform for catalyst customers, said the company. Developed by Clariant company Navigance, CLARITY is a cloud-based platform that provides customers 24/7 access to their real-time catalyst performance data as well as access to advanced visualization, analysis, and monitoring tools.

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Eight people were taken to a hospital for treatment on Monday after a toxic gas leak at Altivia Chemicals' plant in La Porte, Texas, local officials said, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

An update on their condition was not immediately available. The city canceled a shelter-in-place order in the afternoon that had affected several nearby industrial plants, officials said.

The La Porte Office of Emergency Management said the Fire Department and Harris County Pollution Control confirmed there were no "detectable amounts of immediately hazardous products" near or downwind the facility.

Officials had cautioned residents to shelter in place due to a phosgene gas leak at Altivia, a chemical manufacturer and transporter that develops phosgene derivatives for pharmaceuticals and the agriculture industry.

"Eight people were transported from Altivia due to exposure, and all were stable at the time of leaving the facility," said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county's top executive, in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"This happens quite frequently, we aren’t surprised," said Ana Parras, executive co-director at Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services. "What they are producing is chemicals for plastic production, and there has been a rise in incidents" at Texas chemical plants.

The leak was the result of a ruptured pressure release device, Altivia said in a statement. All processes at its La Porte facility have been shut down, and its personnel contained the leak, the company added.

Phosgene is a colorless gas with a suffocating odor like musty hay that is used in the manufacture of other chemicals, pesticides and pharmaceuticals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Exposure to phosgene gas may cause vomiting, breathing difficulty, chest pain and, in its liquid form, frostbite. Halliburton's Multi-Chem Bayport site, Stepan's Pasadena facility, and three other sites belonging to Kuraray America, Evonik and NCTI lifted orders to shelter in place, according to community alerts.

We remind, Lummus Technology and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation announced a master collaboration agreement to jointly pursue carbon capture projects.

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