PTQ Q3 2023 Issue

Key challenges include the development of DRM reac- tor technology, in particular the improvement of thermal efficiency, as well as catalysts that can deal with varying (bio)-gas compositions and operations at pressures and under fully dry conditions. DRM typically converts one CO₂ molecule per molecule of CH₄ and produces syngas. SDR of methane is a strongly intensified CO₂ conversion process as it converts up to three CO₂ molecules per molecule of CH₄ into a pure CO stream. 11 In 2022, the first super dry reforming unit will be operating at pilot level (1 kg CO2 /h). This pilot unit has a multi-reactor configuration, allowing continuous steady-state CO production and inherent H₂O separation from CO/CO₂. Bio-based routes to olefins Braskem’s bio-based ethanol production technology called ‘I’M GREEN’ uses sugar cane, a renewable source, as feed - stock to produce ethanol. This is then converted into bio- based polyethylene (bio-PE), bio-based EVA (a resin used in the automotive and footwear sectors), and bio-PE wax. Bio-PE is a renewable drop-in replacement to conventional fossil-based PE. Braskem operates a 200,000 tpy bio-eth - ylene plant in Brazil, followed by the addition of 60,000 tpy at the time of this writing. Biomass availability and the price gap with petrochemical ethylene are the two most impor - tant determinants for the future of bio-ethylene. However, bio-ethylene can also contribute to chemical feedstock security in oil-importing countries. Neste’s NEXBTL is a solution for producing bio-based or renewable products and incorporating recycled feedstocks. The company’s bio-based olefins and isoalkanes production utilises a renewable flexible mix of raw materials ranging from waste and residue oils to vegetable oils and animal fats. The hydrotreatment process produces bio-naphtha and bio-propane, which then can be used as feedstocks for bio-ethylene and bio-propylene production. With regards to the process itself, pretreatment of the renewable raw materials is crucial as it ensures impurities, such as phosphorus, sulphur, and metals (Na, Ca, Mg, and Fe), are removed before refining. UPM, in collaboration with Topsoe, has developed a biofuels production pyrolysis pro- cess utilising wood-based residue available from its own pulp production business. The proprietary BioVerno process

produces biodiesel and bio-naphtha. UPM’s BioVerno naphtha is 100% bio-based and has identical physical properties to fossil-based naphtha. In 2020, INEOS and UPM Biofuels announced a long-term agreement to supply a renewable raw material (bio-naphtha) for new and inno - vative bio-attributed polymers to be produced at the INEOS plant in Köln, Germany. Technip Energies has developed a process to convert ethanol to ethylene through dehydration. The technology uses a proprietary heteropolyacid (HPA) supported cata - lyst, operating at a lower temperature, higher pressure, and higher selectivity than first-generation processes. The company claims that the proprietary Hummingbird tech- nology includes a ‘toolkit’ for the clean-up of bioethanol feedstocks. In May 2021, Technip Energies signed its first catalyst supply agreement with LanzaJet Inc., a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer, for its Hummingbird etha - nol-to-ethylene catalyst for a key application which, when combined with LanzaTech’s Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technol - ogy, can be used to manufacture SAF using ethanol as raw material. Atol is the result of a partnership between Total, IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN), and its affiliate Axens that started in 2011. Atol’s technology is a ‘green’ route for bio-ethylene production via catalytic dehydration of 1G and 2G renewable ethanol. The bio-ethylene produced can be fed into existing or new units of, for instance, PE, ethylene oxide/monoethylene glycol (EO/MEG), polyethylene-tere - phthalate (PET), polyolefins, alpha-olefins production for linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and polyalphaolefins (PAO), benzene alkylation for polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrilebuta - diene-styrene (ABS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC). The full- scale market launch of this production method is expected in 2025. Waste to olefins Plastic Energy’s process uses proprietary patented thermal anaerobic conversion (TAC) technology to convert end- of-life (EOL) mixed plastics waste into a type of pyrolysis oil called TACOIL. The process complements traditional mechanical recycling efforts and energy recovery activities to help build a circular economy for used plastic. TACOIL is used as feedstock for the production of chemical naphtha

A reactor is fed with plastic akes and catalyst

A plastic mix containing multilayer and hybrid materials is processed

Molecular Recycling Technology MoReTec

Recycling to close the plastic loop

Customers use these pallets in many applications, including healthcare and food safety products

A chemical reaction produces pyrolysis oil

MoReTec

OIL

The oil is fed into a cracker to produce monomers for the production of new plastic materials 5

The pyrolysis oil has similar qualities to the virgin feedstock, naphtha, typically used in polymer production

Figure 2 LyondellBasell’s MoReTec Process 12

PTQ Q3 2023