NextChem and Dimeta to develop plants to make recycled DME from waste

NextChem has signed an agreement with Netherlands-headquartered energy firm Dimeta to develop plants for renewable and recycled carbon dimethyl ether (DME) from waste, said the company.

DME has similar properties to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and the recycled material can be blended with conventional LPG to help reduce its carbon footprint without needing to change appliances or infrastructure.

Dimeta is a Dutch joint venture between SHV Energy and UGI International, which was established to support the production and use of renewable and recycled carbon DME to accelerate the LPG industry’s transition to net zero.

Dimeta aims to produce 300,000 tonnes of DME by the end of 2027 and has established plants in the UK, Europe and US.

The process developed by Maire Tecnimont’s green chemistry venture NextChem and its subsidiary MyRechemical would convert municipal solid waste into methanol and then into DME.

Through the agreement between the companies, the area of cooperation involves generating business cases where Dimeta will offtake DME in ongoing waste-to-methanol projects and new initiatives targeting production of renewable and recycled carbon DME.

We remind, Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary NextChem S.p.A. has signed an agreement with Biorenova S.p.A. to acquire, scale up and industrialize the proprietary CatC technology, a continuous chemical recycling process to recover monomers with ultra-high levels of purity from sorted plastic waste, particularly Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

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Solvay has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Canadian start-up Cyclic Materials to develop a supply chain for recycled rare earth permanent magnets, said the company.

Under the agreement, the partnership will develop the production and supply of recycled mixed rare earth oxides which will be sent from Cyclic Materials' site in Ontario, Canada to Solvay’s plant in La Rochelle, France.

Cyclic Materials recycles rare earth permanent magnets to produce raw materials for applications in the automotive, wind energy and electronics industries and is working to build domestic supply chains across Europe and North America.

Solvay has been working with Cyclic Materials to validate product compatibility with its rare earth separation process.

“Cyclic Materials will provide us key raw materials for our plant to successfully produce rare earths for magnet manufacture, electronics and catalysts,” said Ilham Kadri, Solvay CEO. “As the European Commission finalises the European Critical Raw Materials Act, supplies of recycled materials are becoming critical to European manufacturers. This MoU prepares us for a future offtake agreement which will further our efforts to provide certifiably recycled materials to these markets.”

The agreement will help Solvay to implement the development of a major hub for rare earth magnets in Europe. Last year, the Belgian-headquartered firm announced plans to expand rate earth operations at its La Rochelle site.

We remind, Solvay in advanced negotiations to divest its stake in Rusvinyl. The company confirms it is in advanced negotiations to divest its stake in Rusvinyl, an independent 50/50 joint venture in Russia, to its joint venture partner, Sibur. In addition to the recently obtained preliminary clearance from Russian governmental authorities, the potential transaction is still subject to several other regulatory approvals. Solvay will keep the market informed if and when appropriate, in accordance with applicable law.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 21,000 employees in 63 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress.

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ADNOC and RWE Aktiengesellschaft (RWE) announced today the successful delivery of the first shipment of LNG from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Elbehafen floating LNG terminal in Brunsbuttel, Germany, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Produced by ADNOC Gas at Das Island, Abu Dhabi, the shipment of 137,000 cubic meters of LNG is the commissioning cargo for the new floating LNG terminal in Brunsbuttel and the first-ever LNG cargo to be shipped to Germany from the Middle East. This landmark cargo follows the inaugural ammonia shipment in October 2022, and furthers cooperation on energy security, decarbonization and lower-carbon fuels between the UAE and Germany.

To mark the successful arrival of the LNG cargo, a ceremonial event was held earlier today in Brunsbuttel, which was attended by His Excellency Ahmed Alattar, UAE Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany; Dr. Alexander Lucke, Deputy Director General for Energy Security, German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action; His Excellency Joschka Knuth, State Secretary in the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature; Ahmed Alebri, Acting Chief Executive Officer, ADNOC Gas; and Andree Stracke, Chief Executive Officer, RWE Supply & Trading.

Speaking at the event, Ahmed Alebri, Acting CEO of ADNOC Gas said: “The successful delivery of the Middle East’s first LNG cargo to Germany demonstrates how the UAE is continuing to work closely with our strategic partners in responsibly providing secure, sustainable and affordable energy supplies. The global demand for energy is increasing and as we build on the strong economic, energy security and climate action ties between our two nations, ADNOC Gas stands ready to provide further shipments of this key transition fuel to our partner, RWE and German industry."

The cargo delivery marks an important milestone in developing Germany’s domestic LNG supply infrastructure, supporting the country’s energy security with natural gas. The cargo is sufficient to produce approximately 900 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to supply approximately a quarter million German homes for a year.

We remind, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) announced the formation of, ADNOC Gas, effective 1 Jan 2023, a new worldscale gas processing, operations and marketing company. ADNOC Gas combines the operations, maintenance and marketing of the ADNOC Gas Processing and ADNOC LNG (liquefied natural gas) businesses into one global consolidated business.

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Repsol will nearly double the production capacity of its Reciclex recycled polyolefins with a new production line at its Puertollano Industrial Complex in Spain, said the company.

The company will invest EUR 26 M to install a new 25,000 tonnes/y production line for polyolefins with mechanically recycled plastic content. Repsol currently has 16,000 tonnes/y of Reciclex polyolefins capacity.

Start-up is scheduled for 4Q 2024. Repsol has set a goal to recycle the equivalent of 20% of its polyolefin production by 2030, reaching a production of 100,000 tonnes/y.

We remind, Repsol S.A. (Madrid, Spain), Naturgy and Reganosa are joining forces to develop a renewable hydrogen production center in Galicia, Spain. The project involves the installation of an electrolysis plant powered by 100% renewable energy on the grounds of the former Meirama thermal power plant in the municipality of Cerceda (A Coruna). With the promotion of this energy vector, the three companies reinforce their commitment to a fair energy transition.

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PBF Energy Inc posted a higher fourth-quarter profit on Thursday and said it sealed a joint venture with a unit of Italian energy group Eni for a renewable diesel project in the United States, said the company.

Shares of PBF jumped 10% to USD45.90. As part of the 50-50 venture, Eni will contribute USD835 million, excluding working capital, plus up to an additional USD50 million that is subject to the achievement of project milestones, PBF said.

The joint venture, St. Bernard Renewables LLC (SBR), will own the renewable diesel project currently under construction and co-located with PBF’s Chalmette refinery in Louisiana. “A little short on earnings, but strong buyback figure and sold half of the RD (renewable diesel) project for more than the total cost to build,” said Matthew Blair, analyst at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

PBF in December had announced a USD500 million share repurchase program, of which the company said on Thursday it returned about USD188.9 million, including USD32.5 million in 2023. U.S. refiners last year benefited from increased exports after their cost-wary European counterparts reduced capacity due to a surge in European natural gas prices.

PBF’s gross refining margin, excluding special items, rose to USD1.71 billion in the reported quarter, from USD998.7 million a year ago. Total crude oil and feedstocks throughput climbed 8% in the October-December quarter to 86.4 million barrels.

The company expects full-year 2023 throughput between 935,000 barrels per day (bpd) and 995,000 bpd, and in the current quarter between 845,000 bpd and 905,000 bpd. PBF said net income attributable to stockholders rose to USD637.8 million, or USD4.86 per share, in the three-month period ended Dec. 31, from USD165.3 million, or USD1.36 per share, in the year-ago quarter.

However, on an adjusted basis, it posted a profit USD4.41 per share, missing average analysts’ estimate of USD4.98 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

We remind, PDVSA has allocated an oil cargo to a unit of Eni for a February loading, the first to the Italian firm following a contract suspension this year by new management at the state-run company, people familiar with the matter said. Eni and Spanish oil firm Repsol in May last year received authorizations from the U.S. State Department to take the crude to Europe for outstanding Venezuela debt and dividends, an exception to U.S. oil sanctions on Venezuela.

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