Decarbonisation Technology - August 2023 Issue

of ethylene production plants, in addition to reducing GHG emissions, especially when combined with the optional electrical heater solution developed by Heurtey Petrochem, an Axens company. Sumitomo Chemical pilot plant Through a project launched in 2020, the first Atol plant was commissioned in a real-world setting in the form of a pilot plant for Sumitomo Chemical. With the goal of reducing GHG emissions over product lifecycle and giving a new life to waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill or incineration, the company sought to utilise ethanol produced from biomass and waste. Used as the feedstock for its Atol unit, the company then plans to transform these ethanols into ethylene for plastics production. Since the successful start-up in 2022, the performance and efficiency of the technology have been confirmed, with no operational delays or safety incidents recorded over the period. In fact, production rates have met or sometimes exceeded expectations, and the enhanced versatility of the technology has been demonstrated via the unit’s ability to process a wide variety of ethanol feedstocks. Making bio-ethanol a platform chemical for a more sustainable future Given that ethylene is an important intermediate for a range of chemicals (see Figure 4 ), the dehydration of bio-ethanol to bio-ethylene using Atol provides a means to decarbonise many established value chains in the chemical industry. In this way, the technology can drive the energy transition of our society through new bio-based products. For this reason, the current strategy of Axens includes the development and commercialisation of technologies lying upstream and downstream of Atol in order to provide solutions for decarbonisation across the entire value chain. Upstream, Axens is fully engaged in the commercialisation of solutions for advanced bio- ethanol production from wastes and residues through its Futurol technology, which leverages underutilised raw materials that do not compete with the food supply chain. Axens has provided engineering design, basic engineering and pre- FEED for the development of a Futurol unit in

1G ethanol plant Wood

Cellulosic ethanol

Straw bales

Futurol

Atol

Biochemical pathway

Energy crops

Blast furnace

Ethanol from CO/CO/H sources

Municipal solid waste

and not use crude ethanol processed from primary distillation columns. Atol offers a bolt- on solution that can be incorporated directly into the ethanol mill, thus avoiding additional costly operations like rectifying distillation and further ethanol drying. By lowering costs, simplifying logistics, and reducing transportation emissions, the technology offers a complete and efficient solution inside the ethanol mill. Atol enables bio-ethylene producers to expand their range of suppliers by accepting lower-cost ethanol with potentially higher levels of impurities, thus allowing them to unlock new value and improve the profitability of the plant. Secondly, the high catalyst activity of Atol means that the total volume of catalyst required is significantly lower than conventional alumina catalysts. As a result, the overall reactor volume and catalytic cost are reduced, which ultimately leads to lower Capex. The regenerable nature of the catalyst also ensures a long catalyst lifetime, further reducing costs for producers. Thirdly, Atol technology benefits from an energy management system that enables monetisation of heat recovered from the effluent of the reaction section. The lower utilities usage results in lower Opex for producers and increases the overall cost-effectiveness Figure 3 Examples of bio-ethanol feedstocks compatible with the Atol bio-ethylene process