Page 193 - CW E-Magazine (12-11-2024)

Special Report

Decarbonised chemicals, plastics gain momentum

with multiple production pathways

omentum is building in the Hogan was business director at JOSEPH CHANG
zero-to-low carbon chemi- INEOS Olefi ns & Polymers and will Global Editor,
Mcals and plastics space with start as CEO of Vioneo on 11 November. ICIS Chemical Business
many different pathways to production
that will give customers more options The new company has designed a works and policies supporting a competi-
to reduce their carbon footprint. production process using what it calls tive environment for fossil-free plastics,
an “innovative and proven technology” as well as better conditions for the
There’s more than one way to skin to produce fossil-free polypropylene European chemicals industry such as
a cat, as the English phrase goes. And (PP) and polyethylene (PE) at scale, lower energy costs”, according to Vioneo.
so for the global decarbonisation chal- using green methanol as a feedstock.
lenge, all technologies and processes “Furthermore, the success of the
are on the table – carbon capture and The €1.5-bn project in Antwerp, venture requires long-term offtake
storage (CCS), carbon capture and Belgium would have capacity of around agreements of its customers,” it added.
utilization (CCU), biogenic CO , green 300-ktpa of PP and PE, and could start
2
hydrogen, green methanol, e-naphtha commercial operations by 2028. Vioneo The newly launched company said
and one day, Direct Air Capture (DAC). will start front-end engineering and it is in advanced discussions with several
design (FEED) in Q4 2024 with a potential major global brands, including those
For now, we exclude recycled and fi nal investment decision (FID) in 2025. in healthcare, automotive, fast moving
bio-based plastics as these processes consumer goods (FMCG), beauty and
are already a bit more established. To make green methanol, Vioneo home products.
would use biogenic CO and presum-
2
For many new projects, offtake ably green hydrogen from an electro- Borealis, Infi nium to use e-naphtha
agreements will be critical, as decarboni- lyser. Then presumably again, methanol- Another way to go is using green
sation is neither easy, nor cheap, as to-olefi ns (MTO) would yield propylene hydrogen and captured waste CO to
2
Dow CEO Jim Fitterling has said. and ethylene, which would be poly- produce e-naphtha, which then can be
merised to PP and PE, respectively. fed into a conventional naphtha cracker
With higher costs, the resulting to produce ethylene and propylene, and
decarbonised products would have The company claims its technology then PE and PP.
to sell at a premium to conventional ensures a fully segregated and traceable
material – perhaps a considerable one supply chain, avoiding the mixing of Borealis in August announced a
early on – or be supported by govern- non-certifi ed and certifi ed feedstocks. partnership to source e-naphtha from
ment incentives. Or both. Production will also be powered by e-fuels producer Infi nium to produce
renewable electricity, signifi cantly reduc- “ultra-low carbon footprint” PE and
Vioneo launched ing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. PP. It already started buying e-naphtha
The latest splash in the pool comes feedstock in Q2 and plans to offer com-
from an industry ‘outsider’ – AP Moller, Vioneo said its PP and PE will save mercial quantities of low-carbon PE
the parent company of shipping giant up to 6-kg of CO per kg of plastic and and PP starting in 2025.
2
Maersk, as it launches Vioneo to “pio- will be drop-in, virgin quality, suit-
neer fossil-free plastics production”. able for applications across all sectors “We already see interest in the
including medical appliances, home market from brand owners/OEMs that
Yet, it will be led by industry goods, automotive and packaging. are leading in sustainability efforts and
veterans Jan Secher as chair of the in corporating alternative feedstock in
board, and Alex Hogan as CEO. Secher For the planned project to become their products,” a Borealis spokesperson
was CEO of Clariant from 2006-2008 reality, there are a set of conditions. The told ICIS.
and stepped down as CEO of Perstorp €1.5-bn in equity and debt funding will
in March 2023 after nine years at the “depend on broad stakeholder support, Infi nium is producing e-naphtha
helm. including updated regulatory frame- at its Project Pathfi nder facility in-

Chemical Weekly November 12, 2024 193

Contents Index to Advertisers Index to Products Advertised