
2020 A tumultuous year
A look back at some of the major events of 2020 for the nitrogen and syngas-based industries, as well as a look forward as to how 2021 might look.
A look back at some of the major events of 2020 for the nitrogen and syngas-based industries, as well as a look forward as to how 2021 might look.
thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions discusses a revamping concept to reduce CO2 emissions by replacing some of the hydrogen in the front end of the ammonia plant with green hydrogen, KBR and Casale report on revamp options to increase the capacity of vintage ammonia plants in the former Soviet Union, Johnson Matthey presents a novel integrated ammonia flowsheet for the production of ammonia, methanol, urea and UFC and Arvos | Schmidtsche Schack discusses the benefits of a new process gas boiler.
Falling costs for production of hydrogen by electrolysis are encouraging more serious consideration of using recovered carbon dioxide as a feedstock for chemicals and even fuels production.
Johnson Matthey (JM) has been selected by China’s Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group as licensor for a third methanol synthesis plant at their coal to olefins complex near Yinchuan in Ningxia province. With a planned capacity of 7,200 t/d (2.4 million t/a), the unit will be the largest single train methanol plant in the world once completed.
TechnipFMC’s EARTH ® technology, with its structured catalyst jointly developed by TechnipFMC and Clariant, has been proven to be a cost effective way to drastically improve productivity and energy efficiency of the steam reforming process, while reducing the CO 2 footprint per unit hydrogen and syngas product. The technology can be applied in projects to increase the capacity of ammonia and methanol plants and allows significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. S. Walspurger of Technip Benelux B.V. and S. Gebert of Clariant GmbH report on the EARTH ® technology and its applications.
IFA has announced the appointment of its Senior Director of Agriculture, Patrick Heffer , as the organisation’s Interim Director General as of May 1st. A formal search process for the next Director General has already been launched. Previous IFA Director General Charlotte Hebebrand stepped down at the end of April to assume a new role as Executive Vice-President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Nutrien, and says that she looks forward to continuing engagement with IFA.
Air Products and Haldor Topsoe have signed a global alliance agreement. Under the terms of the agreement the two companies will use their combined market network for developing potential projects and the combination of their expertise on large-scale ammonia, methanol and/or dimethyl ether (DME) plants to be developed and built globally. It gives Air Products access to Topsoe’s technology licenses and the supply of engineering design, equipment, high-performance catalysts and technical services for ammonia, methanol and DME plants that are built, owned and operated by Air Products. It also allows for the integration of Topsoe’s technology into many Air Products’ technologies including gasification of various feedstocks, and synthesis gas processes.
As existing facilities grow older, service requirements increase. Equipment needs to be low maintenance and back in operation quickly after service and repair. Technology licensors are expanding their technical services with new digital tools, using digitalised expertise with real time insights and data driven analytics to boost chemical production and ensure that equipment operates reliably and efficiently, while maintaining product quality.
Tecnimont SpA has signed an EPC contract worth approximately e200 million with Gemlik Gübre Sanayii Anonim Sirketi for the construction of a new urea and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solutions plant at Gemlik, 125 km south of Istanbul. The plant will have a capacity of 1,640 t/d of granular urea and 500 t/d of UAN, and will be based on Stamicarbon urea technology, a fully owned subsidiary of the Maire Tecnimont group. The scope of work includes engineering, supply of all equipment and materials and construction and erection works. Project completion is planned within about three years of the contract beginning.
This year’s Nitrogen + Syngas conference was held from 17-19 February in The Hague, Netherlands.