PTQ Q3 2023 Issue

and diesel, which in turn can be used as feedstocks for pol- ymer production. SABIC and partner Plastic Energy formed a 50-50 joint venture (JV) partnership and, in 2020, started the construction of a circular polymer production unit in Geleen, the Netherlands, which is expected to become operational before the end of 2022. OMV and Borealis’s ReOil pyrolysis process converts post-consumer and post-industrial plastics (mixed plas- tics) to synthetic crude oil (syncrude) and petrochemical feedstock for virgin plastics production. OMV’s process is a pyrolysis process where thermal depolymerisation is per- formed without adding a catalyst or hydrogen. According to OMV, the plan is to achieve one more scale-up step of the plant by 2022 by increasing the post-consumer plastic feedstock capacity to 16,000 t/y before aiming at building the final industrial-scale 200,000 metric tonnes capacity plant by 2025. LyondellBasell’s proprietary MoReTec recycling tech- nology (see Figure 2 ) aims to return hard-to-recycle post-consumer plastic waste (such as multi-layer films) to its molecular form for use as a feedstock for new plastic materials that can be utilsed in food packaging and health- care items. LyondellBasell and KIT have proven that the use of a catalyst in the pyrolysis process, or the structural breakdown of plastic waste into molecules, is faster and more energy efficient than traditional chemical recycling. The company announced in 2020 that the pilot plant was capable of processing between 5 and 10 kg of household plastic waste per hour. The pilot plant aims to understand the interaction of various waste types in the molecular recycling process, test the various catalysts, and confirm the process temperature and time needed to decompose the plastic waste into molecules. The goal is to complete the tests over the next couple of years and then plan for an industrial-scale unit. Some other technologies that are further from potential commercialisation include Mourik’s BlueAlp Technology, a plastic-to-pyrolysis process and Topsoe’s PureStep. BlueAlp and Petrogas (both Mourik subsidiaries) have resolved various bottlenecks and teething problems at their recycling plant in Ostend, Belgium, which is now in full operation. The companies claim that the plant is con- tinuously processing 1.4 tons of plastic waste per hour and

that the gasoil produced is of adequate quality to be used by chemical producers. Topsoe’s PureStep process can be run alongside its existing HydroFlex process, used for bio- fuels production. It can take in a range of solid materials, including biomass, plastic, tyres, and municipal solid waste, as well as liquid feeds – tall oil, vegetable oil, and tallow. The PureStep process is still in the development phase with regard to chemicals production. Bioprocesses BASF has developed high-performance industrial enzymes, alpha-amylases, uniquely suited for grain processing and bioethanol production. BASF states that its proprietary enzymes improve fermentation by enabling higher yields, which in turn improves efficiency thus lowering CO₂ emis - sions and more flexible process parameters. LanzaTech has developed a novel gas fermentation tech- nology that captures CO-rich gases and converts the car- bon to fuels and chemicals (see Figure 3 ). The company has developed proprietary microbes that ferment the CO gases in the bioreactor. In essence, the process recycles waste carbon into fuels and chemicals. According to the company, the gas fermentation process is an alternative to the Fischer-Tropsch process. Houston-based Cemvita Factory is an industrial bio- technology start-up using innovative synthetic biology to decarbonise heavy industry, such as chemical manufactur- ing, mining, and oil, and gas. Cemvita’s process utilises CO₂ stored in a subterranean environment to produce one or more organic compounds useful as fuel and feedstocks for other applications. Cemvita’s biomanufacturing platform mitigates emissions from traditionally energy-intensive chemical and catalytic conversion processes by operating under ambient temperature and pressure. Conclusions The focus is, as always, to improve the cost/performance of olefins production. The industry will continue towards ‘green’ and target net-zero GHG emissions. Both regula- tions and market forces will continue to support R&D aimed at achieving these outcomes. For mature processes like steam cracking and PDH, the most plausible methods for decarbonisation may be the electrification of heat supply

Industrial waste gas Steel, ferroalloys

Acetogenic microbe

Reforming

Biogas

CO + H

Gas feed stream

Compression

CO + H + CO

Gasication

Solid waste Industrial, MSW

Fermentation

Recovery

Product tank

Gas reception

Biomass

H + CO

Available High volume/ low intrinsic value Non-food Most point-sourced

Gases are the sole energy and carbon source Pure continuous process

e + HO + CO

Figure 3 LanzaTech’s gas fermentation technology captures CO-rich gases and convers them to fuels and chemicals 7

PTQ Q3 2023