Magazine: Nitrogen+Syngas

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is increasingly seen as a vital tool in the aviation sector’s transition to net zero. These drop-in fuels, which can be derived from bio and renewable-derived syngas, are used to dilute the fossil-derived components of fuel and are fully compatible with existing fuel infrastructure. This positions SAF as a convenient and rapid route towards decarbonisation. However, questions remain around its ultimate viability at scale and whether it really can be the ‘silver bullet’ aviation leaders are looking for. We spoke to Paul Ticehurst from Johnson Matthey (JM) to shed some light on SAF and the future role of syngas in aviation.

The US Inflation Reduction Act has been a major step in terms of incentivising green syngas production, and has encouraged other governments to look at their own regulatory regimes.

TOYO’s digital twin concept combines its unique digital twin at both the project execution stage and the commissioning stage, and when used in conjunction with its proprietary process simulator it can predict the whole plant lifecycle.

The closure of CF Industries’ ammonia plant at Billingham, Teesside (see Industry News, page 8) marks the end of a long era for UK fertilizer manufacture. The facility was the last operating ammonia plant in the country, following CF’s decision to permanently close its site at Ince in Cheshire in June last year. Going forward, Billingham will now rely on imported ammonia as a feedstock to run the nitric acid and 625,000 t/a ammonium nitrate plants on the site.

Plant digitalisation can contribute to increase the profitability of chemical plants by optimising performance of operation as well as maintenance. Available digital products range from visualisation of plant data for increased transparency to closed-loop AI controllers based on digital twins.

Norwegian chemical shipping company Stolt-Nielsen says that Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen will step down from his role as CEO on September 1, 2023, after 23 years as Chief Executive Officer. He will be succeeded as CEO by Udo Lange and will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Stolt-Nielsen Ltd, the company announced. Lange has more than 20 years of experience in the international trade industry, with expertise in freight forwarding, express and parcel logistics and airline catering. He was most recently president of Healthcare, Logistics and Americas International at FedEx Express, leading a team of more than 50,000 employees across 80 countries. He was also part of the FedEx Senior Management Committee which sets the strategic direction of the circa $90 billion revenue enterprise and has held several other senior roles at FedEx since joining in 2015.

Ammonia prices have now dropped by about 50% from their highs a year ago. Gas prices have fallen, particularly in Europe, and peak fertilizer application season is over in Europe and North America, leading to slackening demand., leading to slackening demand.

Prior to the covid pandemic, sub-Saharan Africa had been the fastest growing market for new fertilizer demand. However, the combination of pandemic related disruption, followed by the dislocations caused by the war in Ukraine, have pushed up prices and led to falling demand across the continent.

Venkat Pattabathula , a member of the AIChE Ammonia Safety Committee, reports on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ Safety in Ammonia Plants and Related Facilities Symposium, held in Munich, Germany, from 20-24 August 2023.

With the growing global demand for food and the rise in ecological challenges, there’s a pressing need for a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly approach to fertilizer production. Achieving a sustainable increase in plant load and operational margins through improved operations is a demanding task. Luc Dieltjens and Ali El Sibai of Stamicarbon discuss how a plant can effectively address these challenges with digital tools to optimise the process.