Aparna Saiju and Nishevitha U G of SLB-MPS explore the concept of energy optimisation using power recovery turbine (PRT) technology in amine sweetening units, focusing on its potential benefits, implementation strategies, and environmental implications.
Ganank Srivastava of Bryan Research & Engineering examines ways to reduce carbon footprint in sour gas facilities.
While there has been a lot of talk about decarbonising ammonia and methanol production, for as long as blue and green production is more expensive than conventional production, uptake will be dependent upon markets which are prepared to pay a premium for such chemicals, perhaps because they have no other reasonable choice, given environmental mandates. One sector above all has dominated the prospects for medium term demand for low carbon ammonia and methanol alike, and that is shipping.
Large-scale ammonia cracking technology and catalysts will enable the full potential of ammonia to be realised as industries transition towards low carbon energy. In this feature we report on the current status of ammonia cracking processes and catalysts.
The implementation of WSA technology to recover sulphur as sulphuric acid from lean sulphurous off-gases offers significant environmental benefits. These include waste reduction, resource efficiency and reduced overall CO2 e footprint, while also producing profitable sulphuric acid. By embracing such practices, industries can ensure improved or better consumption and production patterns and foster a more sustainable and responsible future. J. Feddersen and S. S. Johansson of Topsoe illustrate these benefits using three distinct industrial applications where WSA technology provides a smarter way to treat sulphurous off-gases. It is not only waste stream management in the three cases, but also reduced transportation of chemicals, reduced opex and reduced CO2 e footprint.
The phosphate industry, the dominant consumer of sulphuric acid worldwide, has grown to its present size on the back of fertilizer consumption. And while this has seen considerable growth over the past decades, especially in countries like China, India and Brazil, it has generally been fairly steady and – subject to the annual vagaries of weather and the commodity cycle – relatively predictable. However, the world economy is now in the throes of a major transformation towards less carbon intensive generation and use of energy, and that is disrupting many markets, including that for phosphates.
Mark Brouwer and Jo Eijkenboom of ureaknowhow.com examine the major shifts in global urea production. They also discuss the future of the urea industry and, in particular, how the sector is being affected by the increasing focus on low-carbon ammonia production.
Waste heat recovery in the potash industry is now possible thanks to the availability or robust and reliable heat pipe heat exchangers (HPHEs). Igor Makarenko , Solex Thermal Science, explains how HPHE technology can help potash producers reduce their primary energy consumption and cut their CO 2 emissions.
We look at current progress towards the greater use of recovered phosphorus, and whether there are lessons to learn from the success of the fast-growing carbon capture industry. We also highlight two pioneering European companies, EasyMining and Glatt, who are racing to bringing recovered phosphorus products to market.
New blue production schemes are available to meet the need to significantly reduce the overall carbon intensity of high-volume hydrogen and ammonia production for a large-scale emerging market. KBR, Air Liquide, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Casale and Johnson Matthey report on their latest technologies.