Lummus strengthens position in circular economy

Lummus Technology announced a major investment in Resynergi, a pioneering leader in plastic recycling technology, to scale production of Resynergi's modular Continuous Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis (CMAP) technology, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

CMAP converts plastic waste into reusable materials at a rate 20 times faster than traditional pyrolysis methods. Lummus' President and Chief Executive Officer, Leon de Bruyn, will also join Resynergi's board of directors.

"Lummus' is not only investing in Resynergi, we are partnering with true innovators to develop and scale sustainable solutions that advance the circular economy," said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. "Combining our global licensing expertise with Resynergi's proven CMAP technology will help us accelerate the conversion of plastic waste into high-quality, reusable material. I also look forward to collaborating with Resynergi's team and the board of directors to help reduce the carbon footprint of conventional plastics production and meet the growing demand for recycled plastics."

"The investment from Lummus, along with their global licensing expertise, will allow us to scale our innovative recycling technology and collectively reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by addressing plastic waste and accelerate plastic circularity," said Resynergi Chief Executive Officer Brian Bauer.

With an estimated 70% growth in plastic waste by 2050, Resynergi's modular CMAP technology is positioned to scale waste conversion creating positive social and environmental impact.

We remind, Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (“Toshiba”) announced a master collaboration agreement to jointly pursue carbon capture projects. Lummus will provide its post-combustion carbon capture technology and Toshiba will provide its advanced amine-based solvents specifically tailored for post-combustion carbon capture and its system design guidelines optimized for Toshiba’s solvents.

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MAIRE announces that NEXTCHEM, through its subsidiary NextChem Tech, thanks to its expertise in chemistry and electrochemistry, has launched a new model for “e-Factory for carbon-neutral Chemistry”, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This model is powered by the signature of a cooperation agreement with newcleo to develop, on an exclusive basis, a conceptual study for carbon-neutral hydrogen production thanks to an innovative clean and safe nuclear technology.

Additionally, Tecnimont (Integrated E&C Solutions BU) will provide high-level consultancy services for newcleo’s plan for the implementation of an innovative power plant based on newcleo’s LFR-AS-200 technology, a Small Modular Lead-cooled Fast Reactor fueled with MOX fuel thanks to Tecnimont’s state-of-the-art modularization approach to optimize construction and planning methodology, reducing time and costs.

This approach will enable the production of electrolytic hydrogen and sustainable chemicals including carbon-neutral ammonia, methanol, e-fuels and derivatives, in line with the recent European Union’s decision to include innovative Gen-IV nuclear technology like the newcleo one within the perimeter of EU Taxonomy of environmentally sustainable economic activities.

Alessandro Bernini, MAIRE CEO, commented: “With this agreement, MAIRE confirms its commitment to foster decarbonization and green chemistry through a wide range of technological solutions. By creating carbon-neutral chemistry models based on safe, reliable and competitive energy supply, we will accelerate the industrialization of the energy transition.

We remind, MAIRE announces that NEXTCHEM, through its biodegradable plastics technology licensor CONSER, has been awarded technology licensing and catalyst supply by a prominent client, as part of a larger project located in Northwestern China, said the company. The scope of work entails licensing, process design package for CONSER proprietary Duetto technology and technical assistance during project execution, up to commissioning and start-up. As part of the agreement, CONSER will also supply the hydrogenation catalyst.

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Galymzhan Zhusanbayev has been appointed general director of Kazakhstan's Atyrau Refinery LLP, said Interfax.

Zhusanbayev replaced Murat Dosmuratov, who had held the post since July 2022 but resigned.

Zhusanbayev earlier worked at SAT Operating Aktau LLP, Shymkent Munai Onimderi JSC and Petro Export LLP.

Atyrau is one of the three largest oil refineries in Kazakhstan. Atyrau Refinery LLP is owned by KazMunayGas with 99%. The design capacity of the refinery is 5.5 million tonnes a year with refining depth of up to 86.4%.

We remind, KazMunayGas (KMG) and China Gezhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC) could build gas processing plant at the Urikhtau field in Kazakhstan's Aktobe region. KMG Deputy CEO Serikkali Brekeshev held a meeting with CGGC Vice President Yinqi Deng at which they discussed prospects for cooperation in KMG's projects, KMG said in a press release.

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Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials and chemical company, announced it has begun running a carbon capture and utilization project at its Clear Lake, Texas (U.S.), site as part of its Fairway Methanol joint venture with Mitsui & Co., Ltd, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The project is expected to capture 180,000 metric tons of CO2 industrial emissions and produce 130,000 metric tons of low-carbon methanol per year. Celanese is actively leveraging CCU to offer low-carbon options across its Acetyl Chain and Engineered Materials products to help global customers meet the growing demand for more sustainable and circular solutions. The products will be launched under the ECO-CC name and be transparently supported through mass balance tracking and life cycle assessment processes.

“With this project, our Celanese value chain can convert CO2 waste into products for a wide array of end-markets, including consumer goods like adhesives, packaging, toys, paints, coatings and more.” said Mark Murray, senior vice president, Acetyls at Celanese. “Our globally-integrated value chain positions us to provide a wide range of solutions with carbon capture content across both our integrated Acetyl Chain as well as other methanol derived products like acetal copolymers (POM).”

CCU takes CO2 industrial emissions that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere from both Celanese and third-party sources and applies reduced-carbon-intensity hydrogen to chemically convert the captured CO2 into a methanol building block used for downstream production. This low-carbon input is then used to reduce traditional fossil fuel-based raw materials and can help produce a wide range of end products across most major industries. Third-party sources account for 80% of the captured CO2 waste.

Unlike the more commonly referenced carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), where captured CO2 emissions are injected into and stored in the ground, CCU fosters circularity by using CO2 emissions to create products that can reduce the need for fossil fuels.

We remind, Celanese will idle eight units in its Engineered Materials segment, while running many other plants at reduced rates, the US-based producer said on Monday. Celanese did not specify which units it will idle, what products they make or how long they will remain down. Out of the idled plants, six are in Mobility & Materials (M&M), a business that Celanese acquired from DuPont. The remaining two predated the M&M acquisition.

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SIBUR has registered three new climate projects implemented at enterprises in Nizhnekamsk, Tomsk and Dzerzhinsk in the Russian carbon register, the company reported.

The total expected effect of greenhouse gas emission reductions during the implementation of the projects through 2032 is more than 6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

According to the Russian register of carbon units, SIBUR has the largest portfolio of CO2 reduction projects among Russian businesses, the report said.

The climate project at Nizhnekamskneftekhim involves the use of by-products from the company's production cycle at its own combined cycle gas turbine to generate electricity. This reduces natural gas consumption and significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

A climate project implemented at Sibur-Neftekhim (Dzerzhinsk) provides for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency in the production of ethylene oxide and glycols. As part of the project, gas coolers were installed at the production site. The equipment made it possible to generate additional steam required for the production of ethylene oxide and glycols by utilizing heat energy from the production process, thus reducing natural gas consumption in the boiler house.

In Tomskneftekhim's climate project, superheated steam generated in monomer production is directed to a turbine generator before further use in the production chain. This makes it possible to provide polyethylene production with its own energy, replacing grid electricity generated by burning fossil fuels.

We remind, the only domestic maker of halobutyl rubbers (HBR), SIBUR's Nizhnekamskneftekhim completed the upgrade of its HBR capacities, ramping them up by one third, from 150 to 200 kt. SIBUR accounts for 25% of butyl rubber and halobutyl rubber output globally, with Nizhnekamskneftekhim boasting the world's largest halobutyl rubber production capacity.

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