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Nitrogen+Syngas 399 Jan-Feb 2026

ASU contract for blue methanol plant


ASU contract for blue methanol plant

Air Water Gas Solutions, a subsidiary of Air Water America, will build an air separation unit to support the production of 1.1 million t/a of blue methanol at Sandpiper Chemicals’ blue methanol facility in the US. The low carbon methanol producer has contracted Air Water to design, build, and operate the ASU to provide oxygen, nitrogen, and instrument air for blue methanol production. The project is still at the pre-final investment decision (FID) stage, with production targeted for 2030.

Sandpiper Chemicals’ plant will also feature SynCOR autothermal reforming technology, developed by technology and solutions company Topsoe. The plant is expected to reform natural gas into hydrogen-rich syngas, capture much of the CO2, and use the hydrogen in that syngas to produce blue methanol.

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Methanol Reformer to supply MGC with methanol reformer for Niigata plant

Spain’s Methanol Reformer has signed a sales and purchase agreement with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC) for the supply of an L18 methanol reformer compliant with Japanese industry requirements. The system will be delivered and installed at MGC’s Niigata plant, with commissioning planned for the second half of 2026. Methanol Reformer says that this, their first industrial project in Japan, reinforces the company’s presence in the Asian market, while for MGC, the collaboration supports the adoption of innovative hydrogen-generation solutions designed to enhance operational applicability and efficiency with reliability.

Clariant catalysts selected for waste-to-methanol plant

Clariant says it is collaborating in Repsol’s pioneering methanol plant in El Morell near Tarragona, Spain. The Ecoplanta project will be the first of its kind in Europe to convert municipal waste into renewable methanol, using Enerkem’s advanced waste gasification process, supported by a range of Clariant’s syngas purification catalysts and its highly active MegaMax methanol synthesis catalysts. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the plant will use 400,000 t/a of non-recyclable solid municipal waste to produce 240,000 t/a of methanol.

Technology selected for green hydrogen projects

Nel ASA says that it has entered into an agreement with GreenH to be the technology provider for the Enova-supported projects in Kristiansund and Slagentangen. GreenH develops, builds, owns, and operates hydrogen production facilities based on renewable energy. The company aims to establish a network of distributed hydrogen production sites to enable decarbonisation in the maritime, transport, and industrial sectors. GreenH focuses on scalable solutions located close to end users, reducing logistics costs and supporting the development of efficient, regional hydrogen value chains. The facilities in Kristiansund and Slagentangen are intended to supply green hydrogen to industrial and maritime users and form part of GreenH’s broader efforts to establish a network of distributed hydrogen production in Norway.