Technip Energies, Chevron Phillips Chemical and LyondellBasell sign MOU for electric cracking ethylene furnace

Chevron Phillips Chemical, Technip Energies and LyondellBasell are collaborating on the design, construction and operation of a demonstration unit for Technip Energies’ electric steam cracking furnace technology, designed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the olefins production process, said the company.

The demonstration unit, which will be constructed at LyondellBasell’s site in Channelview, Texas, is expected to advance the global energy transition by taking steps toward decarbonizing the olefins production process, said Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip Energies.

Electric cracking furnace can reduce furnace GHG emissions by up to 90% compared to a conventional furnace. Steam cracking furnaces play a significant role in the production of basic chemicals by breaking down hydrocarbons into olefins and aromatics. This cracking process requires a temperature of more than 1,500°F.

Technip Energies developed the concept and design for the e.Furnace by T.EN™ technology, which could achieve this temperature using electricity as the heat source. The use of renewable electricity in this process would contribute to significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with olefins production.

“Climate change is a global issue that will take action from all segments of society, and we want to be part of the solution by reducing the intensity of our carbon footprint,” said Bruce Chinn, President and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical. “This project supports our efforts toward lowering the carbon intensity of our operations and demonstrates our continued focus on accelerating change for a sustainable future.”

We remind, Technip Energies is pleased to announce that a joint venture, led by Technip Energies in partnership with Consolidated Contractors Company, has won a major Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning contract by QatarEnergy for the onshore facilities of the North Field South Project.

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Fujian Zhongjing Petrochemical Group has selected Johnson Matthey’s latest butanediol technology to produce 600,000 metric tonnes of bio-degradable plastics annually, said Process-worldwide.

This plastic can be used in compostable packaging and decomposes. As China accelerates its efforts to phase out single-use plastics in a bid to tackle pollution, Johnson Matthey will provide Fujian Zhongjing Petrochemical Group, with the latest butanediol (BDO) technology – a crucial component to produce bio-degradable plastics (PBAT). Three separate BDO plants will be built in phases. Using Johnson Matthey’s BDO technology, Fujian Zhongjing is expected to produce 600,000 metric tonnes of PBAT, per year – making this the largest contract in the world for this technology.

This bio-degradable plastic is used in compostable packaging and decomposes due to naturally occurring microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria.

Dr. Mark Su, President, Greater China at Johnson Matthey, says: “As plastic waste is such an issue, a plastic alternative, such as PBAT, could be one of the best solutions available to tackle plastic pollution. With decades of experience in this technology, it’s encouraging to see the positive impact it can have in creating a cleaner world.”

We remind, Johnson Matthey (JM) and bp announced that their co-developed, award-winning Fischer Tropsch (FT) CANS technology has been selected by Strategic Biofuels for their project which aims to produce the world’s lowest carbon footprint liquid fuel.

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India's fuel consumption surged in May with diesel sales scaling a record high, buoyed by strong factory activity in the third-largest oil consumer in the world, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

India's factory output expanded at the quickest pace since October 2020 last month at a time when regional peers such as China, Japan and South Korea have seen their manufacturers struggle for prolonged periods.

Sales of diesel, mainly used by trucks and commercially run passenger vehicles, increased around 5.1% in May to an all-time high of 8.22 million tons from a month earlier, as per PPAC data going back until 1998.

The higher manufacturing boosted purchasing activity and lifted trucking demand, said Viktor Katona, lead crude analyst at Kpler, adding diesel demand also got a fillip from agriculture, particularly rice and wheat, with most harvesting done in April-May.

India's delayed monsoons also supported diesel consumption by translating into better construction activity overall, Katona said. Fuel consumption, a proxy for oil demand, totaled 20.03 million tons in May, up from 18.54 million tons in April.

Sales of gasoline, or petrol, were 16% higher than the previous month at 3.35 million tons. Cooking gas, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), sales increased 9.3% to 2.35 million tons and naphtha sales rose 6.5% to 1.15 million tons, the data showed.

We remind, The local governor of Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin has invited companies from India and China to tap the region's energy resources following the departure of European and American oil and gas majors, said Reuters. Russia has been forging closer political and economic ties with Asia since the start of what the Kremlin calls a special military operation in Ukraine last year and the resulting Western sanctions on Moscow. "We invite companies from China and India to projects of the energy complex. This is a good chance for them to fill the niche vacated by American and European companies in the oil and gas services market," Sakhalin's governor Valery Limarenko said on the government's website.

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Kent, a leading engineering services provider in the oil and gas, low carbon energy and chemicals sectors, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a three-year Master Services Agreement (MSA) with TotalEnergies for engineering services in the United States, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Under this agreement, Kent will provide engineering services at TotalEnergies’ Port Arthur Platform and La Porte Plant in Texas and the Carville Plant in Louisiana, one of the largest polystyrene facilities in the world. The agreement will also include the provision of services for Bayport Polymers LLC’s Ethane Cracker in Texas, which is operated by TotalEnergies. Kent has been providing engineering services to TotalEnergies at the Port Arthur Platform since 2016.

The engineering scope covers everything from feasibility studies through pre-FEED and FEED and into detailed engineering. The contract is managed from Kent’s Houston office and draws upon expertise from its offices in Canada, UK, Colombia and India when necessary.

Paula Fitzpatrick, VP Operations Americas at Kent said on the award “Kent's growth strategy in the Americas focuses on growing our engineering and EPCM services and establishing long-term partnerships with our clients across the US. The award of this MSA is testament to our excellent execution and delivery of engineering services to TotalEnergies since 2016. We are delighted that through the execution of projects within this MSA we will be helping TotalEnergies advance its emissions reduction efforts."

As one of TotalEnergies' six refining and petrochemicals platforms worldwide, the Port Arthur Platform has a daily processing capacity of 238,000 barrels per day and is the Company’s largest facility in the US. The platform can process heavy crude oil, as well as lighter domestic crudes. It also has a dedicated unit to produce low-sulphur fuels, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We remind, TotalEnergies Corbion, a technology specialist in polylactic acid (PLA) and lactide monomers, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese synthetic biology company Bluepha. Under this agreement, the two companies will work together to expedite the growth and adoption of PLA and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) based solutions in China’s market.

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PureCycle Technologies Inc.'s years-long effort to commercialize solvent-based recycling technology for polypropylene is virtually complete, said Sustainableplastics.

And the company's CEO believes that lessons learned from the company's flagship Ironton facility will serve the company well as the firm looks to replicate locations elsewhere — both in the United States and internationally.

PureCycle's journey, from an idea patented by consumer products company Procter & Gamble Co. to a full-fledged production site in Ironton, has had its share of ups and downs. That's for sure.

CEO Dustin Olson readily admitted the realities of the last few years during an on-site interview. But he also believes production in Ironton will wipe away any long-standing questions about the viability of the company and serve as a springboard.

PureCycle uses a solvent-based technology to purify polypropylene, stripping away the fillers and additives and odors along the way to create a virgin-like resin branded Ultra-Pure Recycled, or UPR, plastic by the company.

To follow PureCycle is to understand the company has missed a series of promises to begin production over time. And Olson said that's on him.

"This has been a struggle. I'm not going to lie. I have underestimated the timing for this plant. Some of that ... I should have seen, some of it was out of the blue," Olson said.

"I always give the information to the best of my ability every time. Sometimes I'm right. Sometimes I'm wrong. On this project I would say I leaned on the overoptimistic, but then things happened that prevented us from achieving that," he said.

"There's no doubt that the original dates were hyper aggressive. I think everybody recognizes that. And we've been chasing it," he said. "I think that missing dates is not good. I've got to do a better job." Delays included parts for an extruder being blown up in Ukraine due to Russia's invasion of that country as well as other more mundane supply chain issues. Olson also pointed to what he called minor engineering mistakes.

We remind, PureCycle Technologies Inc.'s flagship polypropylene recycling facility in Ironton, Ohio, is "days away" from beginning the start-up phase of commercial pellet production.

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