Page 157 - CW E-Magazine (26-12-2023)

News from Abroad

INORGANIC CHEMICALS
Solvay and ENOWA to build first carbon-neutral

soda ash plant

Solvay is partnering with ENOWA, tral soda ash production. The partners dues. The next two-year pilot phase
NEOM’s energy and water company, aim to start 500-ktpa soda ash name- will set the stage for industrial-scale
to establish the “world’s first” car- plate capacity by 2030, which would production to begin in the latter half of
bon-neutral soda ash production faci- gradually increase up to 1.5-mtpa by the decade, aligning with the NEOM
lity in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. Pending the 2035, with the potential addition of implementation timeline.
results of an in-depth feasibility study sodium bicarbonate production.
and customary regulatory approvals, “The soda ash plant at NEOM will
the two companies plan to begin opera- Earlier this year, the ‘e.Solvay’ be the first of its kind, as it adopts the
tions by 2030. pilot process began operations in new ‘e.Solvay’ process to attain carbon
Europe. Designed to evaluate the viabi- neutrality,” said Mr. Philippe Kehren,
Strategically located off the Red lity of a more sustainable and competi- CEO, Solvay.
Sea coast to support access to markets tive soda ash production technology,
across the Middle East, Africa and the pilot has yielded positive results, NEOM is a region in northwest
Southeast Asia, the renewable-powered according to Solvay, showcasing Saudi Arabia being developed from
plant will convert seawater brine into potential for low emissions, reduced the ground up. A complex engineering
soda ash and integrate the ‘e.Solvay’ resource and energy consumption, and endeavour, NEOM will operate on
process for sustainable and carbon-neu- complete removal of limestone resi- 100% renewable energy.

CARBON NEUTRAL PRODUCTION
GC and MHI to develop large-scale net zero petro-

chemical plant

PTT Global Chemical Public Com-
pany Ltd. (GC) has signed a Memo-
randum of Understanding (MoU) with
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific
Pte. Ltd. (MHI-AP) to jointly study
the technologies required to develop a
large-scale petrochemical complex that
aims to support Thailand’s carbon neu-
trality by 2050. The collaboration will
involve the study of solutions that use
low carbon fuels such as hydrogen and
ammonia, as well as carbon capture and
storage (CCS) technologies.

Under the MoU for four years, the
two will conduct research to compare
the feasibility of using hydrogen and and optimised for Steam-Methane strategies for robust and sustainable
ammonia as fuels for gas turbines; Reforming (SMR). The collaboration business growth while reducing green-
CCS technologies to reduce CO 2 is aligned with Thailand’s announce- house gas emissions by 20% by 2030
emissions from power generators; and ment to achieve carbon neutrality and achieve net zero greenhouse gas

assess how CCS can best be applied by 2050 and with GC’s operational emissions by 2050.

Chemical Weekly December 26, 2023 157

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