Syngas News

Syngas News

UNITED KINGDOM

Johnson Matthey and KBR alliance on ammonia-methanol co-production

Johnson Matthey and KBR have announced that they have signed a global strategic alliance agreement to license a new ammonia-methanol co-production process that combines the companies’ ammonia and methanol process technologies. The companies say that the co-production process makes the most of synergies between the two technologies, maximising savings while offering the highest levels of safety, flexibility and reliability.

The process combines JM’s proven methanol production process and KBR’s proprietary PURIFIER™ ammonia process, eliminating duplication of equipment compared to two stand-alone plants, reducing capital expenditure. The synergies between the two technologies reduces the environmental impact of the plant and its operating expense through shared utilities and lower energy consumption, while the process grants the operator the flexibility to optimise production and adjust to opportunities within the marketplace, as opposed to separate plants tied to one dedicated product.

“I am excited to announce the alliance agreement combining market leading technologies from KBR and JM into a new offering for our clients,” said Doug Kelly, KBR President, Technology Solutions. “KBR’s ammonia technology is known for its lowest energy consumption resulting in reduced carbon footprint, highest reliability and safety and outstanding financial performance.”

“Methanol and ammonia hold great promise for continued energy and fuels transition to a greener world. This strategic agreement is a powerful combination that provides our customers a comprehensive solution for enhanced asset optimization, cost savings and reduced environmental impact,” said John Gordon, Managing Director for Johnson Matthey. “Our partnership with KBR takes ammonia-methanol production to the next step with a single point license that delivers innovative operational agility to meet ever changing market demand.”

Carbon capture hydrogen plant submits proposal

Plans to transform Humberside, the UK’s largest and most carbon-intensive industrial region, into the world’s first net zero industrial cluster by 2040 have taken a step forward today after the consortium of companies behind the project submitted a £75 million ($100 million) proposal to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The bid by the Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH) Partnership centres around two elements: a plant that produces hydrogen from natural gas and a hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) pipeline network. Equinor-led Saltend (Hydrogen to Humber) Saltend, at Saltend Chemicals Park near the city of Hull, will be largest plant of its kind in the world to convert natural gas to hydrogen. It will combine a 60 0MW autothermal reformer with carbon capture, reducing industrial emissions by nearly 900,000 t/a.

The second element is the hydrogen and CO2 pipeline network developed by National Grid Ventures that aims to link

H2H Saltend to other industrial sites in the Humber region, enabling them in turn to fuel switch to hydrogen or capture their emissions. These sites include Drax Power station, SSE Thermal’s Keadby site, Uniper’s Killingholme site and British Steel at Scunthorpe.

The ZCH Partnership comprises Equinor, Associated British Ports, British Steel, Centrica Storage Ltd, Drax Group, Mitsubishi, National Grid Ventures, px Group, SSE Thermal, Saltend Cogeneration Company Limited, Uniper, and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMRC).

“Our bid demonstrates the kind of ambitious action that is needed to for the UK to achieve its net zero carbon target by 2050,” said Al Cook, Equinor Executive Vice-President and UK Country Manager.

“We believe in the necessity of hydrogen and carbon capture to clean up heavy industry which is required to reach net zero targets,” added Grete Tveit, Equinor Senior Vice-President for low carbon solutions. “The technologies are proven and it’s now a question of putting them together.”

NORWAY

Fuel cell offers alternate power train for shipping

Maritime technology partners have developed a 1.2 MW prototype fuel cell propulsion system which can use a variety of different types of fuel, including LNG and ammonia, according to availability. The fuel cell will be tested at the Sustainable Energy catapult centre in Norway before installation one of Odfjell’s newest chemical tankers for a trial period. The main partners in the project are Odfjell, Prototech, Wärtsilä and Lundin Energy Norway. Odfjell has leading expertise in global shipping, Prototech in fuel cell technology, Wärtsilä in maritime technology and energy, and Lundin Energy Norway in oil and gas.

“Our tests show a CO2 reduction of as much as 40-45% when using LNG, compared to current solutions. Increased efficiency and reduced fuel consumption also provide significant cost savings, and the ship will be able to sail significantly longer on the same amount of energy. The system will also be ready to operate completely emission-free from the locations where, for instance, ammonia is available for bunkering,” says Bernt Skeie, CEO of Prototech. “The technology also enables direct capture of CO2 , which will be yet another alternative for emission-free operation when logistics for CO2 management become available.”

“Ships are to be operated for 20-30 years, and we need flexible solutions that can meet future emission requirements. We do not have time to wait, we have to think about zero emissions already now,” says Erik Hjortland, Technology Director at Odfjell SE. “The fuel cell project is one of the paths we are pursuing. We focus on machinery rather than focusing on one single type of fuel. Fuel cell technology gives us flexibility that ensures environmentally efficient operation regardless of fuel changes that may occur in the years ahead.”

EGYPT

Feasibility study on new methanol co-production plant

Abu Qir Fertilizers has commissioned a feasibility study regarding the construction of a $2.6 billion methanol and downstream products plant at its site at Ain Sokhna. The envisaged site would be a 1.6 km2 plot within the Suez Canal Economic Zone, and the project would be 70% funded through

loans. It would be implemented over two phases, with the $1.6 billion first phase being an ammonia and methanol co-production facility with a capacity of 400,000 t/a of ammonia and 1.0 million t/a of methanol. The second phase, which will cost an estimated $1 billion, would add additional downstream production including acetic acid, methanol to olefins, and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN).

INDIA Bids invited for coal-fired methanol plant

State-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) says that it has invited bids for a coal to methanol plant at the Dankuni Coal Complex in West Bengal, currently run by its subsidiary South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. The tender is being offered on a build-own-operate (BOO) model. A capital outlay of $800 million is envisaged to build a 676,000 t/a methanol plant. The methanol would then be blended with gasoline at a ratio of up to 15%, in a similar way in which China has extended its own gasoline pool and reduced oil imports by using domestic coal to produce methanol. The plant would supply the methanol requirements of four eastern states of the country -West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Coal India Ltd says that it would allocate land, power and water to the operator for the proposed plant. It is also in talks with IOCL and other government owned oil companies for a long term methanol offtake agreement. CIL would also supply low-ash high calorific coal from the Ranigunj coalfields, with an ash content of around 24%, providing around 1.5 million t/a of coal. Bids are expected by December 17th.

Start-up for Trombay methanol plant

Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers has started production at its new methanol plant at Trombay, Mumbai, according to the company. The 242 t/d plant will mean that RCF is no longer dependent on imports for its own requirements, and will also be in a position to satisfy the needs of other methanol consumers in India.

December commissioning for Namrup methanol

Assam Petrochemicals Ltd says that the methanol reactor has been installed at its Namrup site. State-owned Assam Petrochemicals is building a 500 t/d gas-fed methanol plant at Namrup, and a 200 t/d formaldehyde project at Boitamari, 115 km west of Namrup. Chairman Bikul Ch. Deka said that if everything proceeded according to plan, the methanol plant will be commissioned in December 2020.

VENEZUELA

Restart at Supermetanol

Pequiven has reportedly restarted its Supermetal plant at Jose in the east of Venezuela. Italy’s Eni, a 50% partner in the plant, assisted with bringing the 800,000 t/a plant back online – it had been down since 2Q 2019 and had required repairs to a natural gas line and steam valve.

UNITED STATES

Hafnia to take methanol from Kalama

Tanker company Hafnia has reportedly agreed to transport up to one third of the output from the proposed Northwest Innovation Works (NWIW) methanol plant at Kalama, Washington state. NWIW is developing a large scale methanol facility at Kalama with a capacity of up to 3.6 million t/a which aims to export the methanol to China for use in methanol to olefins production. Per the agreement with NWIW, Hafnia will provide and operate purpose-built next-generation methanol dual-fuelled ships to transport one-third of the methanol volume produced by the plant. These vessels will be tied to 19-year charters.

Michael Skov, CEO of Hafnia, is also said to be a proponent of methanol’s use as a cleaner shipping fuel. “This initiative is another example of our strategy to support and promote industry decarbonisation while still transporting the resources necessary to sustain the world. We recognise the world is changing, and that the ways we operate and conduct business need to change with it. While there is much uncertainty as to exactly what the future will look like, we’re confident that the steps we’re taking have Hafnia, our stakeholders and the industry moving in the right direction,” said Skov.

The agreement is more good news for NWIW, which tied up a similar deal with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in June 2020. NWIW has had a hard fight with local environmental campaigners to build the plant at Kalama, but has also been buoyed by the submission of a Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SSEIS) which the Washington state Department of Ecology has said confirms that the project would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by operating at a lower carbon intensity than comparable coal-based plants in China that it is designed to compete with.

GERMANY

A methanol fuel standard for Europe

A German state-funded research project is working to establish the technical basis for standardisation of methanol fuels in Europe. The TEC4FUELS project involves a consortium of universities, research institutes, industrial companies and small and medium-sized enterprises as partners who aim to pave the way for the certification and market launch of methanol fuels. In the short term, the researchers assess the potential for methanol fuels based on renewable hydrogen or other lower carbon technologies to make a significant contribution in reducing CO2 emissions, in road traffic, as high. However, to achieve this goal, a number of technical requirements must be clarified.

An important aspect is the optimisation of gasoline engine combustion concepts for the use of methanol. On one hand, the partners are investigating the suitability of 15% methanol as a drop-in fuel to conventional gasoline in future series-produced gasoline engines and, on the other hand, the use of 100% methanol in a technically adapted prototype engine to be used in a vehicle. Among other things, the focus is on questions of cold-start behaviour, knock resistance, efficiency, exhaust emissions, and material compatibility.

Siemens to build green hydrogen plant

Siemens has revealed plans to build a 900 t/a green hydrogen plant at the Wunsiedel Energy Park in the north of Bavaria, with the aim of eventually expanding this to 2,000 t/a. The plant will run solely on renewable energy. Ground breaking for the first phase is scheduled for the end of 2020 and commissioning at the end of 2021. The hydrogen will be used to fill gas cylinders for local distribution and shipped by truck to local and regional end customers, mostly in Upper Franconia, the Upper Palatinate, southern Thuringia and Saxony, as well as the Czech Republic. Siemens said a public hydrogen filling station for trucks and buses may be added later at the same location to aid the conversion of heavy-duty traffic and public transportation to CO2 -free drive technology.

‘Artificial photosynthesis’ pilot plant

Siemens has also commissioned a pilot plant, in conjunction with Evonik and money from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that uses carbon dioxide and water to produce chemicals. The energy is supplied by electricity from renewable sources. The pilot plant is located in Marl, in the northern Ruhr area, and forms part of the e6.3 million Rheticus I and II research projects.

The CGCL site at La Brea, Trinidad.

PHOTO: CGCL

The process, described as ‘artificial photosynthesis’, electrolyses carbon dioxide and water to generate a syngas consisting of CO and H2 . The syngas is then used in a bioreactor developed by Evonik to feed bacteria which produce specialty chemicals, initially for research purposes. Over the coming weeks, the composition of the syngas and the interaction between electrolysis and fermentation will be optimised, and a unit for processing the liquid from the bioreactor will be set up to obtain the pure chemicals.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

CGCL loads first methanol shipment

Caribbean Gas Chemical Ltd (CGCL) says that it has loaded its first cargo of methanol from its new $900 million methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) facility at La Brea. In a press statement, CGCL said that 13,000 tonnes of methanol were loaded on board the M/T Trans Catalonia at the Port of Brighton La Brea.

Methanol and ammonia production on Trinidad has suffered from gas pricing and availability and low product prices in recent years, but CGCL, which is part owned by the National Gas Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC), is said to have benefited from favourable gas prices. The CGCL consortium also includes Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Engineering Ltd, and Massy Holdings Ltd.

The CGCL plant has the capacity to produce 1.0 million t/a of methanol and 20,000 t/a of DME. Construction began in 2015 but completion has been delayed from the planned start-up date and the plant was only finished in June this year.