Decarbonization Clariant Installs N2O Removing Catalyst at Hengli Petrochemical’s Nitric Acid Plant

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One of the winners of Clariant’s Climate Campaign is Hengli Petrochemical and the firm was offered a free load of Clariant’s Envicat N2O-S catalyst for nitrous oxide abatement. Envicat N2O-S is claimed to be a drop-in solution that is capable of removing up to 95% of N2O from the off-gas of nitric acid production plants.

Munich/Germany – Clariant has recently announced the successful installation of its Envicat N2O-S catalyst at the nitric acid plant of Hengli Petrochemical. Envicat N2O-S was installed as part of Clariant’s global Climate Campaign, which offered a free load of the N2O removal catalyst to nitric acid producers with no abatement technology. One of the winners of the campaign is Hengli which operates a 300,000-metric ton per annum nitric acid plant in Dalian, China. With the successful installation of the catalyst in June 2024, the plant is projected to reduce its N2O emissions by 690,000 tons of CO2eq annually.

Xaver Karsunke, Vice President of Specialty Catalysts at Clariant, commented, "We are honored to support Hengli Petrochemical in their drive toward cleaner chemical production. Our catalysts not only help industry leaders like Hengli to significantly reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, but also to do so in the most efficient and economical manner possible. Partnerships like this are crucial for accelerating China’s energy transition and meeting the country’s ambitious decarbonization goals.”

Aibo Zhu, Plant Manager at Hengli Petrochemical, stated, “As one of the world’s largest chemical companies, we are committed to sustainable and environmentally responsible operations across all our businesses. We are proud to partner with Clariant on this innovative N2O abatement solution to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions at our large-scale nitric acid facility in Dalian.

Based in Dalian, China, Hengli Petrochemical Co. is a major integrated petrochemicals producer. The company is part of the Hengli Group, an international conglomerate focused on oil refining, petrochemicals, advanced polyester materials, and textiles. The Hengli Group was ranked 81st in the 2024 Fortune Global 500 and operates the world's largest terephthalic acid plant.

Commonly known as laughing gas, nitric acid is essential for manufacturing fertilizers. However, its production emits N2O, which is almost 300 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. The problem is further compounded by the fact that more than half of nitric acid producers do not remove N2O from their off gas. Based on 66 million tons of nitric acid produced annually around the world, N2O emissions equal to more than 100 million tons of CO2eq yearly.

The solution to this serious problem couldn’t be easier. With the Envicat N2O catalyst series, N2O and other nitrogen oxides can be removed almost completely (up to 99 % for tertiary abatement and 95 % for secondary abatement). Designed as a drop-in solution, the catalysts can be easily installed in any state-of-the-art nitric acid plant without disrupting the manufacturing process. Envicat N2O has been well-established in the market for more than 20 years, with over 50 successful installations globally.

Clariant’s goal with the global Climate Campaign was to show producers an economical path to emission reduction and inspire them to transition toward climate neutrality. From November 2021 to March 2022, several winners were selected to receive a complimentary load of the Envicat N2O-S catalyst.

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