Page 128 - CW E-Magazine (1-4-2025)

Point of View

While the issue of recyclability of epoxy resins,which are thermosets, at end-of-life has not garnered the headlines thermoplastics
(such as polyethylene and polypropylene) have, this issue is now being addressed as well. India’s Aditya Birla Group, a global leader in
epoxy resins, has developed a recycling technology, Recyclamine, which, according to the company, integrates unique epoxy resins and
curing agents with meticulously engineered cleavage points at cross-linking sites, in effect converting thermosets into thermoplastics.
The technology not only closes the loop but allows the recovery & reuse of valuable components such as carbon fibre, glass fibre, and
epoxy matrices, providing a path to commercial success in recycling.

Energy use
The fuels and feedstocks for the chemical industry have historically come from petroleum, but the ongoing energy transition is
altering particularly the former.

Several efforts are ongoing to substitute molecules (fuels) with electrons (electricity) as energy sources in chemicals manufacturing,
even as are feedstocks are still largely petroleum based. Several companies – including many in India – have undertaken fuel substitution
initiatives such as use of biomass (instead of coal or fuel oil) in their boilers, and/or have tied up renewable electricity supplies (wind and
solar) through captive investments or through power purchase agreements.

More fundamental changes are afoot. The idea of using carbon-free nuclear energy, made available in a dispersed manner through
Small Modular Reactors that are inherently safe, is gaining ground, as these offer two key inputs most chemical plants need, viz.,
high-pressure steam and electricity. These projects are still on paper, but they are a novelty. At a more advanced stage of development
are efforts to electrify crackers – the mother plants that provide the olefins and the aromatics that underpin the production of
thousands of downstream products including bulk, fine and speciality chemicals. Demonstration-scale electrified crackers are currently
under trial in multiple consortia between engineering and chemical companies, and the next few years could see the commercial
deployment of these to replace end-of-life cracking furnaces, in capacity expansions and eventually new builds. If the electricity is
sourced from renewables, these projects will offer large-scale availability of low-carbon feedstock, aiding decarbonisation efforts of
many chemical value chains.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
Aviation accounts for 2-3% of 42-gigatonnes of global CO emissions and is a hard-to-decarbonise sector. Though several exotic
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engine alternatives (such as battery electric and green hydrogen-powered) are being experimented, SAF, which have an energy density
comparable to current aviation fuels,is widely recognised as the only viable option in the near term.
Several pathways to SAF are proven and commercially deployed today, and while they need to be certified for sustainability, their
economics and scalability are not in doubt. The feedstocks options today are oilseed crops (e.g., palm, rapeseed), recycled products (used
cooking oils and animal fats), and cereal & sugar crops (corn, sugarcane). But in the future,waste residues (municipal solid wastes, and
forestry wastes), and even industrial CO emissions, could be scalable options, though these technologies still have some way to go.
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Depending on the feedstock and technological production path way, SAF can in theory be up to 100% less carbon-intensive over its life
cycle compared to conventional jet fuel. As ASTM-approved SAF is virtually identical to its fossil-fuel counterpart,it has “drop-in” status,
which is a huge advantage.

In India, the civil aviation ministry is developing a strategy for the adoption of SAF by Indian airlines and is aiming to propose a 1-5%
usage of SAF starting 2027. While India is trailing other regions in terms of maturity of the supply chain for SAF, it has the feedstock
resource base to rapidly scale SAF production. CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum,a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR), has developed indigenous SAF technologyfor both civilian and military aircraft, though they are untested at scale.

The benefits of wider adoption of SAF span guaranteed additional incomes for farmers and enhanced energy security, besides
environmental benefits in the form of catalysing improved waste management, and reduced air pollution (by providing an incentive
to avoid stubble burning – a recurring problem in northern India).This is but one more example of how the chemical industry can aid
broad-based rural development.

Essential building block of the future
As these examples show, no matter which future we build, chemical substances and materials will remain essential building
blocks.
Ravi Raghavan

128 Chemical Weekly April 1, 2025

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