Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, Ruhr University Bochum and Evonik Oxeno have developed a novel catalyst system that enables the use of the climate gas carbon dioxide as a raw material for the chemical industry.

Gasunie, Open Grid Europe and Thyssengas have entered into an agreement to develop a cross-border hydrogen connection between the Netherlands and Germany. The companies aim to realize the connection between Zevenaar (Netherlands) and Elten (North Rhine-Westphalia) around 2031.

Many countries across the globe are committing to fast-track their decarbonization projects in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is part of this global effort but it distinguishes itself by building mega projects that are set to become landmark examples of sustainable transformation.

PROCESS Worldwide brings to you the ‘Top 10 plant engineering projects of March 2026’ from all over the world. Right from Aramco commencing operations at one of the largest gas plants in the world to Trump announcing a 300-billion-dollar deal for the first new U.S. oil refinery in 50 years, find out all the projects making headlines here.

Celanese has partnered with Sharpcell Oy to produce airlaid nonwovens with the help of the carbon capture and utilization technology. With this move, Celanese aims to increase circular content and further reduce the carbon footprint of everyday essential products.

Vulcan Energy’s Lionheart Project will be using Nesi’s proprietary Norscand electrolysis technology to convert lithium chloride into battery-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM); a vital material used in electric vehicle batteries. The project is expected to have a production capacity of 24,000 tonnes of LHM annually.

Energy X has recently commissioned the largest direct lithium extraction (DLE) production plant in the USA which is expected to produce approximately 250 metric tons per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate equivalent.

Plastic Energy has successfully commercialised ‘char’, a byproduct of its chemical recycling process, under the name Tacfiller. Its production results in up to 89 % lower emissions than conventional carbon black.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is entering a digital era. From AI and digital twins to supercomputers and quantum computing, these technologies are transforming drug discovery, clinical trials, and production. As Siemens’ Andrew Whytock explains, when data is clean, contextualized and usable, and combined with high performance computing, companies can solve more complex problems at speed and the result is better quality, greater flexibility and more reliable right first-time manufacturing.

Oil and gas companies in the Gulf are incorporating the latest technologies to optimize and decarbonize their operations. Right from the Middle East’s first quantum computer for industrial applications to Artificial Intelligence, firms in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are actively adopting advanced solutions to remain the world’s energy powerhouse while engineering a low carbon future.