Syngas News

Syngas News

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Feasibility study on waste to fuels plant

Maire Group subsidiary MyRechemical has been awarded a feasibility study for the integration of its proprietary waste-tosyngas technology in a large-scale conversion plant that would transform solid municipal waste into 120,000 t/a of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). MyRechemical would provide the gasification unit to transform solid waste streams into synthesis gas, which would then be converted into low carbon ethanol and then to SAF.

“We are happy to participate in the first waste-to-chemicals initiative in the UAE,” commented Giacomo Rispoli, CEO of MyRechemical. “This achievement further confirms our commitment in valorising alternative feedstocks, contributing concretely to the reduction of the carbon footprint in the aviation sector. This happens in a country like UAE where we boast a long-standing presence in the transformation of natural resources, and which is now open to sustainable innovation”

UNITED STATES

MyRechemical to license technology for biomass to fuels plant

MyRechemical has been selected by DG Fuels Lousiana to provide the process design package in relation to a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility under development in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The plant, expected to be operational in 2028, will produce 350,000 t/a of SAF derived from biomass and other waste. MyRechemical has been selected as technology licensor in relation to a gasification unit and a gas treatment unit able to process 1,000,000 t/a of bagasse and sugar cane trash and pulp, representing the first step for the SAF production. DG Fuels has established several partnerships and offtake agreements with major global airlines and is currently developing its first SAF facility.

Michael Darcy, DG Fuel CEO and chairman, commented: “We are very happy to formalise our agreement to use the NextChem gasification technology in our first zero carbon SAF production facility. NextChem’s superior technology, extremely strong engineering capabilities and unquestioned financial wherewithal makes them the ideal partner in our efforts to decarbonise the aviation industry”.

UNITED KINGDOM

Topsoe to collaborate on UK-based renewable natural gas and methanol

Topsoe, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Standard Gas, a decarbonisation technology company, to collaborate on a UK-based project to produce renewable natural gas and methanol from residual waste feedstocks. Under the terms of the MoU, Topsoe will provide the technologies, engineering, equipment items and catalysts that will enable the synthesis gas produced by Standard Gas to be processed into valuable products such as methane and methanol. The process of renewable natural gas production will additionally produce biochar, which captures and removes carbon and can be sequestered in valuable products for the agricultural, construction and environmental industries.

Standard Gas will develop and obtain all appropriate approvals, licenses, funding and offtake agreements needed to implement the project. Standard Gas will either own and operate the potential project or license to a third-party owner.

Peter Vang Christensen, Senior Vice President, Clean Fuels & Chemical at Topsoe, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Standard Gas to address waste management, which continues to be a significant challenge to society. Standard Gas’ visionary approach to waste management aligns with our own aspirations to be a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies. This MoU marks another step forward in our shared commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.”

Johnson Matthey demonstrates fuel cell recycling technology

Johnson Matthey (JM) has announced the successful lab scale demonstration of its new HyRefine technology for recycling hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyser materials. While there are established routes to recycle the platinum group metals (PGMs), often the ionomer isn’t recovered. JM believes that this is the first ever demonstration of a circular process for the PGMs and valuable ionomer together. JM researchers have proven at lab scale that both the PGMs and the ionomer can be recovered and recycled into new catalyst coated membranes – the performance-defining components at the heart of hydrogen fuel cells and electrolysers. Separate experiments have confirmed that the recycled PGM catalysts match the performance of fresh material.

As the hydrogen economy takes off, embedding circularity is critical to conserve precious resources and minimise the environmental impact of manufacturing new hydrogen technologies. Using a purely chemical process, HyRefine offers efficiency and sustainability benefits compared to conventional PGM refining, producing metal with up to a 98% lower carbon footprint than primary (mined) metal. JM is now scaling up this technology to run 50 litre pilot trials in its facility in Brimsdown, UK.

Alastair Judge, JM’s Chief Executive, Platinum Group Metals Services, said: “This demonstration of our HyRefine technology is a key step on our path to providing a circular service for our fuel cells and electrolyser customers in the future. It’s a fantastic example of how we can leverage our foundational PGM ecosystem, world-leading recycling capabilities and decades of expertise in hydrogen technologies and apply this to embed circularity into the hydrogen economy.”

CHINA

Approval for floating methanol plant design

Classification society Bureau Veritas has issued an approval in principle to Wison Offshore & Marine for its floating green methanol plant design. The floating plant developed by Wison will use renewable energy from wind, solar or hydroelectric power and captured carbon dioxide from onshore facilities such as power plants to produce green methanol. Compared with an onshore methanol plant, the proposed floating design has high system integration and a small footprint, and is easy to deploy, highly flexible, and can be stationed away from communities to realise greater safety and environmental protection.

“Future energy utilisation will pivot towards renewable energy and nuclear power. Wison, as a leading clean energy technology and solution provider, is committed to providing efficient integrated solutions for the energy industry. These include floating LNG facilities, onshore standard modular LNG plants, floating wind turbines, floating natural gas to methanol, floating green ammonia and other clean energy solutions,” said Zhou Nan, General Manager of WOM’s Product Technology Centre.

SINGAPORE

Singapore invites methanol bunker proposals

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has invited interested parties to submit proposals for the supply of methanol as a marine bunker fuel in the port of Singapore. The MPA is looking to gather proposals for the implementation of end-to-end methanol bunkering solutions in Singapore from 2025. The goal is to ensure a resilient supply of methanol to meet international bunkering needs given the expected delivery of methanol-capable vessels in the coming years. The proposals cover three areas: methanol supply sources; a methanol bunkering operation model at commercial scale in Singapore; and alternatives to the physical transfer of methanol molecules to Singapore such as mass balancing. MPA will assess the viability of various solutions in the proposals received, which will also inform and shape the development of MPA’s methanol bunkering licensing framework.

JAPAN

Agreement on green natural gas

TES and Toho Gas Co., Ltd. have signed a comprehensive agreement to explore the development of a green synthetic natural gas (“e-NG” or “e-methane”) supply chain in order to support Japan’s decarbonisation goals. As part of this collaboration, both companies will work together to raise awareness of e-NG and design systems such as CO2 counting rules and financial support as well as the early implementation of e-NG in society, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality.

Takeo Haigou, Managing Executive Officer of Toho Gas, commented: “Toho Gas has set a goal for carbon neutral including our customer’s site by 2050. To achieve this goal, we believe that e-methane will play a key role, and aim to supply e-methane more than 1% of our city gas sales volume by 2030. Toho Gas will accelerate these plans through the collaboration with TES.”

Maersk and Port of Yokohama sign methanol supply agreement

Maersk has signed a memorandum of understanding for a potential methanol supply agreement with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and the municipal authorities responsible for the port of Yokohama. The deal is intended to study ways of supplying methanol and green methanol as marine fuels.

ITALY

Low carbon DME proposal

MyRechemical, part of the Sustainable Technology Solutions business unit led by NextChem, and Dimeta BV have agreed to carry out a study to explore the feasibility of the development of plants to produce renewable and recycled dimethyl ether (DME) from waste, which can be used as a clean-burning fuel, based on MyRechemical’s waste-to-chemicals technologies and expertise. 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. Dimeta, a joint venture between SHV Energy and UGI International, aims to produce 300,000 t/a of DME by the end of 2027, establishing plants in the UK, Europe and the USA.

SPAIN

Plans for green methanol plant

Spanish energy company Cepsa has partnered with C2X, an affiliate of Danish shipping firm Maersk, to build a green methanol plant in Huelva, at a cost of up to $1.1 billion. The proposed methanol plant would have a capacity of 300,000 t/a, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe. Hydrogen required for the plant’s operations will be sourced from another project that Cepsa is concurrently planning – the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, while the carbon source may potentially be forestry residues or even carbon dioxide extracted directly from the air.

FRANCE

Maire awarded pre-FEED contract for Engie biomethane project

Maire SpA says that its Sustainable Technology Solutions business unit, NextChem, has been awarded a contract by Engie SA to carry out a pre-front end engineering design study for the gasification and methanation of waste wood as well as the implementation of a carbon capture unit for the Salamandre project in the Normandy region. This award follows the successful completion of an advanced basic engineering study for waste wood gasification and the syngas purification system to produce second generation biomethane, which was announced in April 2023. NextChem’s scope also includes the preliminary evaluation and estimate of the engineering, procurement and construction activities for the full gasification and methanation package of the project, including the relevant utilities and ancillary units, which will be considered as part of the client’s final investment decision.

The plant is expected to produce 20 MW equivalent of bio-methane. The methane, produced through pyro-gasification of waste wood, will be injected into the French natural gas grid, representing one of the first industrial projects of its kind in the world.

BOTSWANA

Tender issued for coal to liquids project

In December Botswana Oil opened bidding for the country’s coal to liquids (CTL) project, which aims to produce 12,000 bbl/d of synthetic fuels, equivalent to more than 50% of Botswana’s annual consumption. The deadline for bids was December 22nd, with submissions to be based on a public private partnership (PPP) model. Investors will be required to design, build, finance and operate the plant based on a turnkey basis with an associated off-take agreement with the state oil firm. The investor would operate and maintain the facility for a period, ultimately transferring ownership to the government of Botswana at the end of this period.