Page 169 - CW E-Magazine (17-6-2025)

News from Abroad

according to DoE. Affected companies Sixteen of the 24 terminated awards for the initial phase of this review, but
include PPL Corp, Ørsted and Exxon were signed between President Donald this process may extend to other DoE
Mobil. Trump’s election in November and programme offices as the reviews pro-
January 20, according to DoE. The DoE gress,” the department said. DoE created
“After a thorough and individua- assessed the cancelled awards under a the Office of Clean Energy Demon-
lised financial review of each award, review process outlined recently. It said strations in late 2021 to manage about
the DoE found these projects failed to it is reviewing 179 awards that total $27-bn in funding appropriated by the
advance the energy needs of the Ameri- over $15-bn in financial assistance. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
can people, were not economically Act and the Inflation Reduction Act,
viable and would not generate a posi- “DoE is prioritising large-scale according to a mid-November report
tive return on investment of taxpayer commercial projects that require more from the US Government Accountability
dollars,” it said. detailed information from the awardees Office.
Braskem and Ardent closer to commercialising olefin

separation technology

Brazilian petrochemicals firm, operational stability, the companies
Braskem, and US-based membrane said. “The successful pilot programme
solutions provider, Ardent Process demonstrates the tremendous poten-
Technologies, have announced the tial of this technology to revolutionise
completion of their joint development olefin paraffin separation processes,”
programme for a novel olefin-paraffin said Bill Charlton, COO of Ardent and
separation technology. leader of this project.

The collaboration, which began Following these promising results,
in November 2020, centred on the Braskem has confirmed its intention
development and testing of Ardent’s to implement this technology across
Optiperm membrane technology at a commercial facilities. Engineering
dedicated demonstration unit within and design work have already com-
Braskem’s facilities. The develop- key performance metrics, including menced for the first commercial
ment programme has satisfactorily met membrane efficiency, durability, and installation.
OPTIMISING PRODUCTION
Evonik plans maintenance shutdowns at methionine

facilities in Singapore and Antwerp

Germany’s Evonik is upgrading its September and at its Antwerp site in bine a catalyst exchange with the con-
global methionine production setup for September/October 2025,” the company tinuation of the measures begun in May
MetAmino (DL-methionine) in the third said. to reduce nitrogen, sulphur, and CO
2
and fourth quarter of 2025. MetAmino emissions. During the shutdown, the
is used in livestock production to feed In Singapore, the maintenance Antwerp site operations will implement
animals healthily, efficiently, and sus- schedule of a raw material supplier to further milestones from its climate
tainably. Evonik has necessitated an early shut- roadmap and make the site’s utilities
down in Q3. Evonik will synchronise infrastructure fit for the future.
“Implementation of several tech- this with catalyst exchange and to fur-
nical measures requires a shutdown of ther improve the energy efficiency and These upgrades are major enablers
the production facilities for methionine CO emissions of the plant. contributing to further reductions in
2
and its precursors for 6-7 weeks each the carbon footprint of Evonik’s pro-
at Evonik’s Singapore site in August/ In Antwerp, Evonik will also com- duction facilities.

Chemical Weekly June 17, 2025 169

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