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Nitrogen+Syngas 397 Sep-Oct 2025

16 September 2025

Fossil fuel free plastics project

BELGIUM

Fossil fuel free plastics project

Lummus Technology says that its Novolen® polypropylene technology has been selected for a new grassroots plant in Antwerp. The plant will be part of a complex owned by Vioneo, which will be the world’s first industrial-scale fossil-free plastics production complex. The complex, based on green methanol as feedstock, will also be highly electrified using renewable electricity and use renewable hydrogen as key components to its operations.

“Vioneo’s goal of delivering the world’s first fossil-free polypropylene plastics facility is bold, ambitious, and one we are honored to support,” said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lummus Technology. “Our proven polypropylene polymerization technology will allow Vioneo to produce high-performance, drop-in polypropylene grades through a low-emissions process without compromising quality or flexibility.”

The first-of-its-kind plant will have a capacity of 200,000 and will use segregated green propylene and ethylene as feedstock to produce a wide range of polypropylene grades. With high-purity feedstock and proven technology, polypropylene will serve as a direct drop-in replacement for fossil-based alternatives. The plastics produced will be fully traceable and CO2 negative, allowing customers to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

“Vioneo is driving the plastics industry’s transition by proving that large-scale, cleaner production with green methanol-derived feedstocks is economically viable,” said Alex Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, Vioneo. “Our collaboration with Lummus Technology… is fundamental to this vision. This world-first plant will use fully certified green propylene and ethylene from industrially proven methanol-to-olefins technology, to produce a broad range of high-quality, drop-in bio-polypropylene grades, significantly advancing a sustainable plastics economy.”

Lummus’ scope includes the technology license, process design package, support during the front-end engineering design phase and catalyst supply during ongoing operations.

Latest in Europe

Equinor backs out of blue hydrogen project

Norwegian oil and gas major Equinor says that it is no longer pursuing its planned H2M Eemshaven blue hydrogen project in the Netherlands, citing policy uncertainty and insufficient funding. The project was a joint venture between Equinor and Linde, and would have produced hydrogen from natural gas piped from Norway, with a capacity of 210,000 t/a of hydrogen beginning in 2029. Around 95% of the carbon dioxide produced would then be piped back to offshore storage sites near the Norwegian coast. Equinor had received a grant of €162 million for the project from the European Innovation Fund last summer. However, uncertainties over whether the project would receive carbon credits under the EU’s RED III directive, and a lack of local hydrogen infrastructure at Eemshaven meant that the project was unable to secure offtake agreements.

Avalon seeking permits for hydrogen plant

Avalon Renovables says that it has begun the administrative process to obtain environmental permits for the company’s planned Arquillo green hydrogen plant at Jerez de la Frontera. The plant is one of eight green hydrogen plans planned as part of the Bays of Algeciras and Cádiz Project (PBAC), with pipeline tie-ins to the future green ammonia plant in Campo de Gibraltar. The plant will include a 47 MW solar voltaic power plant called Arquillo, feeding 35 MW of electrolysis capacity, with an estimated output of 4,900 t/a of hydrogen.

Cancellation for green ammonia project

Hy2Gen has been forced to end plans for a green ammonia plant in Norway, following the withdrawal of an electricity supply agreement by the main energy provider. Iverson eFuels, co-owned by Hy2Gen and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, had been planning to build a 200,000 t/a green ammonia plant at Birkeland in Sauda, using 240 MW of electrolysis capacity. However, the plant’s operational schedule has been pushed back from an original launch date of 2027 to 2031, prompting Norwegian electrical grid operator Statnett to withdraw the 270 MW of previously allocated grid capacity at the end of December, saying that it could only offer the extra capacity once upgrades to the grid had been completed in the period 2033-35. Following several weeks of discussions, Iverson eFuels said in a statement that: “such an unresolved situation related to the completion of new network capacity is not compatible with further development of the project. On this basis, Iverson has decided to terminate the project concerning green ammonia production in Sauda. The company regrets the decision, thanks its partners, and will now consider the possibility of establishing a data centre to create new activity in Sauda.”