Air Liquide to expand US biomethane capacity, build two new plants

Air Liquide continues to expand its capacities in biomethane, also known as Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) in the U.S., with the construction of two new production units, said the company.

These units, located in Center Township, Pennsylvania, and Holland Township, Michigan, will treat waste sourced from dairy farms. Following a circular economy approach, these units will contribute to the emergence of a low-carbon society.

These production units will produce biogas from manure feedstock in an anaerobic digester for a total production capacity of 74 GWh, and return the digested waste for the farms’ needs, promoting circular economy in waste management. Using Air Liquide’s proprietary gas separation membrane technology, the biogas will then be purified into RNG and injected into the natural gas grid.

Air Liquide has developed competencies throughout the whole biomethane value chain, starting with biogas production from waste, to its purification into biomethane to be injected into gas grids or compression/liquefaction with storage and transportation to customers. Air Liquide currently has 26 biomethane operational production units in the world for a yearly production capacity of about 1.8 TWh.

Armelle Levieux, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee and Vice President of Innovation: “With these two new biomethane production units, Air Liquide is reinforcing its presence in the U.S. RNG production market. These investments in the U.S. are in line with the priorities of our strategic plan ADVANCE for 2025, which inseparably links growth and a sustainable future. Biomethane is part of the portfolio of solutions developed by Air Liquide to support the decarbonization of its customers in the industry and transport sectors. ”

We remind, Air Liquide announces the divestiture to Adenia Partners Ltd of the Group’s activities in twelve countries in Africa representing a total annual sales of about 60 million euros. Air Liquide has signed an agreement with Adenia to sell its activities in the following twelve countries in Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Togo.

Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and healthcare. Present in 72 countries with 67,800 employees, the Group serves more than 4 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the Group’s activities since its creation in 1902.

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Coca-Cola is rolling out 500ml bottles made of 100% rPET in Hong Kong – intended as a step towards offering 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 and implementing 50% recycled material across its packaging lines by 2030, said Packagingeurope.

Excluding their caps and labels, all 500ml Coca-Cola Original, Coca-Cola No Sugar, and Coca-Cola Plus bottles sold in the country are now said to be made from 100% rPET. On-pack messages including “I’m a 100% rPET bottle” and “Recycle Me Again” are intended to raise awareness and encourage consumers to dispose of their bottles via plastic recycling streams.

Coca-Cola reports that it has already transitioned into 500ml recycled plastic bottles in Canada, the Philippines, and other countries. Now it hopes to align with upcoming Hong Kongese legislation expected to implement producer responsibility schemes for plastic drink containers, among other products, from 2025.

Tim Warwick, vice president of Operations for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and Mongolia at The Coca-Cola Company, continued: “What we’re looking to do now with Coca-Cola is to lead by example, and walk the talk, and then make sure that other beverage players have the pressure they need to move to 100% rPET. And then when we do that, there’ll be such demand that everything will have to be taken out of the environment and go straight into new life plastics (NLP), which will help mostly.

The move also comes alongside Coca-Cola’s work with its bottling partner, Swire Coca-Cola, and the Drink Without Waste initiative to develop a new neighbourhood collection scheme. It has made a HK$3 million investment – equivalent to €356,343.20 – to encourage participating housing estates, cleaners, and resident households to ‘build a recycling habit and mechanism’ by separating and recycling their plastic bottles.

Last year, Coca-Cola HBC opened an in-house production facility in Romania; the move sought to supply rPET for its 100% recycled bottle portfolio and contribute to the company’s goal of utilizing almost 50% PET across its EU and Swiss markets by the end of 2023.

Additionally, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners sought to examine how CO2 captured from the atmosphere could be upcycled into ethylene for plastic bottle production and funded research carried out by researchers at Swansea University.

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Two new research labs are being built by AkzoNobel at its Sassenheim site in the Netherlands to further propel the company’s pioneering product development, said the company.

Work is about to start on building a technology center for Powder Coatings, while a new polymer lab has just opened which will develop innovative resin technologies for all the company’s businesses.

The total investment in the Sassenheim site – AkzoNobel’s largest global R&D center – amounts to around €8 million. The facility already houses the biggest R&D teams in Europe for the company’s Decorative Paint and Automotive and Specialty Coatings businesses. The addition of the two new labs will help the company further build on its global reputation for pioneering product development focused on providing creative solutions for customers.

“Creating the new Powder Coatings lab will enable us to carry out the fundamental research needed to continue to innovate with impact and bring more sustainable products to the market,” explains Roger Jakeman, AkzoNobel’s Chief Technology Officer.

The recently opened polymer lab – part of the company’s Research organization – will accommodate 15 scientists. It will mainly focus on the development of more sustainable polymer technologies and new coatings to support AkzoNobel’s ambition to halve carbon emissions across the value chain by 2030.

“The performance of a paint or coating is largely defined by the design of the resins used,” continues Jakeman. “They’re a vital ingredient in the manufacturing process. The new lab will therefore play an important role in boosting our capabilities and strengthen our industry-leading expertise.”

Adds Carla Breuer, Mayor of Teylingen, the municipality where Sassenheim is located: “AkzoNobel's investment in these two new research laboratories underlines the company's commitment to sustainable product development in our region and in the Netherlands. We’re proud that this initiative is taking shape in our municipality.”

We remind, a major investment project has been completed at AkzoNobel’s production plant in Bac Ninh province near Hanoi in Vietnam, which will help to strengthen the company’s position in Asia and sharpen its focus on more sustainable manufacturing. Five new powder coating lines have been added at the multi-site, along with a line for producing water-based products for the consumer electronics market (IT, wireless and home appliances). The total investment amounts to €18.5 million.

AkzoNobel employs around 3,000 R&D professionals worldwide in 70 laboratories, with more than EUR1.25 billion having been spent on research and development over the last five years.

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BASF SE is considering laying off all employees at its Finnish battery materials plant due to obstacles posed by red tape and environmental opposition, said the company.

The company anticipates starting redundancy negotiations that could affect a significant number of workers at the Harjavalta site. BASF attributes this decision to the prolonged permitting process, which has resulted in uncertainty regarding the plant's future. The potential layoffs stem from the company's struggle with the complex regulatory landscape and unresolved environmental concerns.

This decision reflects BASF's challenges in navigating the permitting process and addressing environmental opposition, leading to the uncertain fate of its Finnish battery materials plant. The company's impending redundancy negotiations highlight the significant impact on employees at the Harjavalta site, emphasizing the broader repercussions of regulatory and environmental obstacles.

We remind, BASF has broken ground on a methyl glycols (MG) plant at its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China. The new facility is designed with an annual capacity of 46,000 metric tons and aims to meet the rapidly growing demand for brake fluids in the region. The plant is scheduled to commence operations by the end of 2025.

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Nuberg EPC announced on Thursday that Mundra Petrochemicals has commissioned the global EPC and turnkey project management company to set up a capacity of 2,200 tonnes per day chlor-alkali project in Gujarat, said Business-standard.

Nuberg stated the project is designed to produce a range of essential chemicals, including 50 per cent Caustic Soda, Caustic Flakes, Anhydrous HCl, and Liquid Cl2, as well as other by-products crucial to Mundra Petrochemicals' Green Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Project.

Nuberg company executives said the project was awarded in March this year and will be completed over the course of the next 15 months.

“This Chlor-Alkali plant is more than just a project; it represents India’s industrial fortitude and is a key element in the production of feedstocks for MPL’s comprehensive suite of refineries and chemical plants, symbolizing Nuberg EPC’s steadfast commitment to driving India’s industrial advancement,” Nuberg’s press statement noted.

Adani Group had announced plans for an entry into the petrochemicals business as early as 2019. However, nothing significant has materialised so far. Further, the Hindenburg episode also raised concerns about whether the group will shelve plans for this business segment. The PVC business is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary under Adani Enterprises, according to company presentations.

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