Page 174 - CW E-Magazine (17-6-2025)

News from Abroad Special Report

OPTIMISED PROCESSES
Steel plant gases for chemicals manufacture
Lonza’s new platform to cut down development
and aiding carbon footprint reduction
timelines for small molecule APIs hina is the largest steel producer methanol is economically viable, D.M. MOHUNTA & R. KISHEN

Lonza, a Swiss contract develop- The model-based platform com- reducing experimentation time and in the world followed by India. potentially to meet 16-34% of methanol Commercial Chemical and Deve-
ment and manufacturing organisa- bines physicochemical and statistical resource use, ‘Design2Optimize’ CIndian steel industry has an market(4). lopment Co.
tion (CDMO), has launched its new models with an optimisation loop accelerates the path to manufacturing emission intensity of 2.55 tonnes of Email: dmm@ccdcindia.com
‘Design2Optimize’ platform to enhance to enhance chemical processes with and increases the likelihood of right- carbon dioxide (CO )/tonne of crude steel J. Lundgren et al.(5) have suggested
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process development and manufactur- fewer experiments than traditional first-time processes. (tCO /tcs) whereas the global average various combinations of Blast Furnace Clean-up of COG
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ing of small molecule APIs. statistical methods. Developed with is1.85-tCO /tcs. The Indian steel sector Gas (BFG), COG, biogas, etc., for pro- COG is one of the three main pro-
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the Fraunhofer Institute for Indus- “Combining the Design2Optimize contributes almost 12% to the country’s duction of methanol. Lingyan Deng cess gases obtained from steel plant
The platform is based on an opti- trial Mathematics (ITWM), the plat- platform with Lonza’s AI-enabled CO emissions, which is more than the and Thomas A. Adams II(6) conducted industries (the others being BFG and
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mised design of experiments (DoE), form helps drug developers to build route scouting service and high- global average. Approximately, 240-mt a feasibility study for ArcelorMittal Linze-Donnawitz gas (LDG)). It is pro-
which is a statistical method for predictive models at speed, even for throughput experimentation (HTE) of CO is emitted by the steel sector Dofasco Ontario (AMD), which demon- duced during coking, wherein coal is
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enhancing process and reaction con- complex or poorly understood re- to rapidly test and compare reaction each year, and given the Indian Govern- strated that the process of conversion heated in ovens to produce coke, which
ditions. Aiming to drastically shorten actions where the mechanism is not conditions, Lonza’s integrated app- ment’s infrastructure development of COG and BFG to methanol is effi - is used in the blast furnace for making
the development timeline for small definitively known. By generating a roach streamlines development, goals, it is expected to double by 2030(1). cient, and results in a net CO emis- iron. COG is a complex mixture
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molecule APIs, the platform employs a digital twin of each process, the plat- enhances process understanding, and Decarbonising the steel industry has sions reduction of 228-ktpa (4.6% net (Table-1), and of the listed components,
proprietary model-based approach that form enables scenario testing in situ accelerates the journey from mole- been under active consideration for CO emission reduction) and can fi x hydrogen (H ), carbon monoxide
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guides experimental setup based on without the need for further physi- cule design to market,” the company some time and various solutions have up to 246-ktpa of CO into methanol (CO), CO and unsaturated gases can
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optimal conditions. cal experimentation. By significantly said. been suggested. annually. be present in the fi nal clean gas compo-
sition but others should be removed as
CONTRACT MANUFACTURING There are two sources of coke These and other examples indi- much as possible through a by-product
oven gases (COG): from integrated cate that India’s steel industry can not plant(2).
Axplora’s French site passes its ninth consecutive steel plants and independent coke only be a producer of steel but can
regulatory inspection producers(2). also be a producer of basic chemicals Table-1: Typical composition of COG
like methanol, ammonia, and down- Chemical name % Volume
Axplora, a Germany-based CDMO National Agency for Medicines and This achievement marks the China has been proactively working stream chemicals, using COG and Hydrogen 52-59
and active pharmaceutical ingredient Health Products Safety (ANSM). ninth successful inspection at for more than one and half decades on BFG. The chemicals can be propylene, Methane 26-33
(API) manufacturer formed by the Conducted in February 2025, the Chasse-sur-Rhône since 2003, the use of steel plant off-gases as a means gasoline, LPG, acetic acid, isocyanates
combination of PharmaZell, Farma- inspection confirmed the site’s com- company informed. Axplora ope- of decarbonizing. With an annual pro- (TDI, MDI), ethyl carbonate, ethylene Nitrogen 1.9-5.7
bios, and Novasep, has announced pliance with current Good Manu- rates 9 API manufacturing sites duction capacity of 16-mtpa, China glycol, diphenyl carbonate, polycarbo- Carbon monoxide 4.5-7.0
that its Chasse-sur-Rhône CDMO site facturing Practices (cGMP), with across Europe and India, provid- is the largest producer of coke in the nate, etc. The intriguing part is that Ethylene 2.0-2.8
in France has successfully passed its no critical remarks or 483 observa- ing multi-site capacity to partners world. all these technologies are in commercial Carbon dioxide 1.4-2.1
latest on-site inspection by the French tions. worldwide. use.
In 2014, the Wuhai Huaqi Xilaifeng Hydrogen sulphide 0.4-1.2
SUSTAINABLE BEAUTY LNG plant had a capacity to process Many publications indicate that Hydrogen cyanide 0-1.2
Croda backs study in Nepal to promote responsible 3.77-mscm (million standard cubic COG and BFG can be used for metha- Ethane 0.7-1.1
nol production and hydrogen separation
metres) of COG to produce 1-mscm
0-1.1
Ammonia
sourcing practices of LNG each day. Per year, this plant (6)(7)(8). We are suggesting that COG Benzene 0-1.0
used 1.5-billion mscm of COG, pro- and BFG be used to produce ammonia
UK-based Croda’s Beauty Actives “Our contribution to this review supply chains. Supporting initiatives ducing about 250,000-tonnes of LNG, along with methanol. Carbon disulphide 0-0.3
business has co-financed the ‘Living reflects Croda’s ongoing commitment like the Anker Research Institute’s which saved the use of 940,000-tonnes Toluene 0.1-0.2
Wage and Living Income’ study in to ethical and responsible sourcing of work aligns with our mission to foster of standard coal. It cut down CO As steel plants have very large capa-
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Nepal, conducted by The Anker Research plant-based raw materials. As a mem- transparency and improve liveli- emissions by 1.04-mtpa(3). cities, producing vast amounts of gases, The steps followed in a COG treat-
Institute. This research provides vital ber of the Union for Ethical BioTrade hoods in the communities where the volume of chemicals that can be ment plant are:
reference values for rural Nepal, estab- (UEBT), Croda Beauty Actives – we source ingredients,” commented Zichen Di et al. concluded that produced can be quite large. Further- * Tar and liquor separation;
lishing benchmarks for fair wages and Croda Le Perray actively collaborates Manon Gerard, Corporate Social COG-to-ammonia is a well-balanced more, the use of gases reduce the use of * Primary gas cooling;

incomes that ensure a decent standard with partners to promote sustainabi- Responsibility Manager at Croda option. Promoting COG-to-hydrogen hydrocarbon resources and consequent * Compression in exhausters;

of living for workers and their families. lity and social fairness throughout our Beauty. faces economic viability. COG-to- production of CO . * Electrostatic tar droplet removal;
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174 Chemical Weekly June 17, 2025 Chemical Weekly June 17, 2025 175

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