Plant Watch Top 10 Engineering Projects of November 2024

Source: Press release BASF, Alpla, Alterra, Evonik, Honeywell, Topsoe, Clariant, Neste, Ohmium, Arcelormittal Poland 12 min Reading Time

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PROCESS Worldwide brings to you the ‘Top 10 plant engineering projects of November 2024’ from all over the world. Right from BASF partnering with Exterra for commercial scale CCS project in Canada to Topsoe’s technology being selected for one of Brazil’s first SAF plants, find out all the projects making headlines here.

At a glance: Plant engineering projects from across the globe.(Source:  weerapong–stock.adobe.com)
At a glance: Plant engineering projects from across the globe.
(Source: weerapong–stock.adobe.com)

Alpla Inaugurates New Pet Recycling Plant in South Africa

Grand opening of the Alpla recycling plant in Ballito, South Africa. (Source:  Alpla)
Grand opening of the Alpla recycling plant in Ballito, South Africa.
(Source: Alpla)

November 04 – From 2025, Alpla will produce up to 35,000 tonnes of mechanically recycled rpet flakes and food-safe rpet pellets annually in South Africa. The international packaging and recycling specialist has just opened a state-of-the-art plant, which is located on a 90,000-square-metre site in the coastal town of Ballito, after a construction period of around 18 months. With an investment of 60 million euros, Alpla is setting the course for further growth in South Africa and providing an economic boost to the densely populated province of Kwazulu-Natal and the ilembe district.

“South Africa is a strategically important market for us and one in which we want to continue to grow. Together with our customers and partners, our aim is to provide safe, affordable and sustainable packaging solutions to our customers and to continue improving the standard of living. With our investments in Ballito and before that in Lanseria, we have laid the foundation for a successful future,” says Alpla CEO Philipp Lehner. “Alpla’s involvement does not only accelerate the industrialization of the ilembe District Municipality, but ensures investing in projects that support UN Sustainable Development Goals, attracting other companies along the value chain and creating several thousand jobs in the collection infrastructure,” says Sihle Ngcamu, CEO of Trade & Investment Kwazulu-Natal.

The Ballito recycling plant will have an initial output capacity of 35,000 tonnes of rpet flakes, of which 16,000 tonnes will be processed into rpet pellets. A state-of-the-art extrusion line has been installed for this purpose. Once all processes have been qualified and the flakes and pellets have been approved by the customer, Alpla will start production in early 2025. “Our plant will increase the supply of rpet in the national market. The country’s beverage industry will benefit in two ways: it will receive high-quality material and it will be able to meet the legal requirements,” explains Dietmar Marin, Managing Director of Alplarecycling.

BASF Partners with Exterra for Commercial Scale CCS Project in Canada

BASF and Exterra Carbon Solutions have entered into a MOU to explore opportunities to deploy a commercial scale CCS project in Quebec, Canada.(Source:  BASF)
BASF and Exterra Carbon Solutions have entered into a MOU to explore opportunities to deploy a commercial scale CCS project in Quebec, Canada.
(Source: BASF)

November 06 – BASF and Exterra Carbon Solutions (Exterra) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities to deploy a commercial scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Quebec, Canada, using a combination of BASF’s Oase gas treatment technology and Exterra’s Reactive Oxide to Carbonate System (ROC) as part of its integrated carbon storage services. The strategic partnership is aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of Quebec’s industrial sector, specifically targeting hard-to-abate industries like the cement, steel, gas-to-power and waste-to-energy sectors, which account for nearly 20 percent of global CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. The collaboration harnesses the strengths of both companies to offer a comprehensive solution that could reduce CO2 emissions, contribute significantly to the province’s decarbonization goals and enhance environmental quality.

To pioneer the integration of carbon capture and mineralization into a single, scalable system, BASF will contribute gas treatment solutions that lay the groundwork for robust carbon capture infrastructure. With its Oase blue technology, BASF will efficiently capture CO2 emissions from industrial processes, ensuring the extracted CO2 is ready for immediate mineralization. Exterra will complement BASF’s capabilities by providing ex-situ carbon mineralization services that ensure permanent storage without risks of leakage or reversal. Exterra’s innovative ROC technology, bolstered by its low-carbon footprint of magnesium oxides, will enhance BASF’s Oase gas treatment, and, together, they will transform captured CO2 into a stable mineral form. In addition, Exterra will provide additional value to participating industries by generating high-quality carbon credits validated by third parties. Overall, the partnership will increase transparency, safety and rapid scalability.

Neste, Alterra, Technip Energies to Offer Standardized Technology Solution for Chemical Recycling

Alterra’s Akron plant in Ohio, 2024.(Source:  Alterra)
Alterra’s Akron plant in Ohio, 2024.
(Source: Alterra)

November 07 – Neste, Alterra and Technip Energies have signed a collaboration agreement to advance the circularity of plastics by providing the industry a standardized technology solution for chemical recycling, also referred to as “advanced recycling”. The partners aim to globally offer a standardized modular solution, based on Alterra’s proprietary liquefaction technology, to parties interested in building capacity for chemical recycling. This solution will come in the form of readily designed and engineered liquefaction plant modules, which will allow for lower pre-investment costs, accelerated implementation time, high predictability on project economics and reduced overall capital costs. Contributing to more effective execution of chemical recycling capacity projects, the solution helps the industry to reduce dependency on virgin fossil resources and accelerate the circularity of polymers and chemicals.

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Alterra’s technology is a thermochemical liquefaction process, which converts hard-to-recycle plastics into a liquid hydrocarbon product. This liquid intermediate product can then be further refined into high-quality raw materials for new plastics and chemicals. As of today, Neste alone has processed more than 6,000 tons of plastic-derived feeds, including ISCC Plus certified oil from Alterra’s industrial-scale site in Akron, Ohio.

Alterra and Neste started collaborating in chemical recycling in 2021, jointly improving aspects of Alterra’s technology and creating respective value chains. Alterra and Technip Energies started their collaboration in chemical recycling in 2022. The three companies now join efforts in a unique endeavor: Alterra and Neste will license the liquefaction technology and Technip Energies will design, engineer and deliver the standardized liquefaction plant solution to interested parties globally.

Evonik Breaks Ground for Specialty Amines Plant Expansion in China

Evonik's cooperation with the Nanjing government continues to flourish, as demonstrated by the successful groundbreaking ceremony attended by local government officials.(Source:  Evonik)
Evonik's cooperation with the Nanjing government continues to flourish, as demonstrated by the successful groundbreaking ceremony attended by local government officials.
(Source: Evonik)

November 12 – Evonik has officially broken ground on its plant expansion for specialty amines in Nanjing, during a ceremony attended by Nanjing government delegates on November 8. This milestone underscores Evonik's commitment to the development of the polyurethane and epoxy curing agent markets. The expansion at the existing production site strengthens Evonik's presence in China, a vital region for the company’s global operations.

The expansion represents a strategic investment in the double-digit million-euro range, allowing Evonik to enhance its amine portfolio by accessing cost-effective raw materials. By increasing production in China, Evonik strengthens its competitiveness and improves market efficiency, optimizing its production network. This expansion supports future market growth and aligns with Evonik’s global amine strategy to further differentiate its product offerings.

"The groundbreaking of our new specialty amines plant is testament to Evonik's strategic focus on expanding our capabilities in Asia and our confidence in its potential. China’s role as a competitive production hub is pivotal for both our regional and global business strategies," said, Dr. Claudine Mollenkopf, Head of Evonik’s Specialty Additives division. "This investment not only strengthens our position in the polyurethane and epoxy markets, but also highlights our commitment to sustainable growth and innovation."

The Nanjing plant runs on green electricity and specializes in producing amine-based additives crucial for industries such as construction, automotive, and furnishings. These additives play a significant role as catalysts during polyurethane foam formation. Innovative catalysts also reduce odor and VOC emissions. In November 2023, Evonik signed a Letter of Intent with the Nanjing authorities to expand the plant with construction to be completed in 2026.

St1 Refinery to Produce SAF with Honeywell Technology

Honeywell has announced that the St1 Refinery has started using Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel.(Source:  Honeywell)
Honeywell has announced that the St1 Refinery has started using Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
(Source: Honeywell)

November 12 – Honeywell has recently announced that the St1 Refinery has started using Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The biorefinery in Gothenburg, Sweden will provide SAF to regional airlines, including Braathens Regional Airlines. The production of SAF with Ecofining technology also supports Honeywell’s alignment of its portfolio to three powerful megatrends, including the energy transition and future of aviation.

The Gothenburg plant will produce 200,000 tons of renewable fuels annually and can utilize flexible feedstocks, including used cooking oil, animal fats, and tall oil fatty acids from paper and pulp mills. In addition to SAF, the biorefinery will produce biodiesel, bio-naphtha, and bio liquid petroleum gas. St1 reported the fuels produced at the biorefinery will reduce road and air traffic emissions by about 500,000 tons of CO₂ annually compared to fossil fuels.

The SAF produced at St1’s facility will support the European Union’s Refuel EU initiative, which requires aviation fuel to contain a blend of at least 2 % SAF beginning in 2025. The required percentage gradually increases over time, eventually increasing to 70 % by 2050, contributing to the European Green Deal's goal of climate neutrality that follows the same timeline.

Topsoe Technology Selected for One of Brazil’s First SAF Plants

The production addresses the rapidly growing demand for SAF.(Source:  Topsoe)
The production addresses the rapidly growing demand for SAF.
(Source: Topsoe)

November 14 – Topsoe has signed an agreement with Refinaria de Petróleo Riograndense (Riograndense), to provide its Hydroflex and H2bridge technologies for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel production at Riograndense’s Rio Grande renewable fuels plant in Brazil. The production addresses the rapidly growing demand for SAF. As cited by the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Scenario, over 10 % of fuel consumption in aviation needs to be SAF by 2030 to stay on course for net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. In 2023, the International Air Transport Association estimated global SAF production to make up only around 0.2 % of total jet fuel demand.

Elena Scaltritti, Chief Commercial Officer at Topsoe, said: “With Brazil setting ambitious airline emissions reduction targets in October this year, Riograndense is one of the country’s early movers to ensure SAF supply is available for airline operators on-time. We look forward to partnering with Riograndense to grow the supply of renewable fuels in Brazil.”

With Hydroflex, customers can convert various fats, oils and greases into drop-in renewable jet and diesel that meet all globally accepted specifications for these fuels. Topsoe’s Hydroflex can be deployed in both grassroots units and revamps for co-processing or fully renewable applications.

The H2bridge technology replaces external fossil feedstocks for production of hydrogen by processing the waste propane and off gases from the Hydroflex process and converting it into green hydrogen that is then consumed in the same process (i.e. Hydroflex). This patented process integration provides the customers with improved carbon intensity score.

Ohmium, Spirare Energy, Jncasr to Develop India’s First CO2 to Green Methanol Plant

Ohmium has partnered with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Breathe Applied Sciences, and Spirare Energy, to announce India’s first CO2-to-Green Methanol plant.(Source:  Pixabay)
Ohmium has partnered with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Breathe Applied Sciences, and Spirare Energy, to announce India’s first CO2-to-Green Methanol plant.
(Source: Pixabay)

November 19 – Ohmium International (Ohmium), a leading green hydrogen company that designs, manufactures, and deploys advanced Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, is pleased to partner with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (Jncasr), Breathe Applied Sciences, and Spirare Energy, to announce India’s first CO2-to-Green Methanol plant.

The project will combine green hydrogen generated by Ohmium PEM electrolyzers with CO2 captured from the Singareni Thermal Power Plant to produce green methanol. The process to synthesize green methanol from CO2 emissions was developed by researchers at Breathe Applied Sciences and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in India. Spirare Energy partnered with Ohmium to procure the PEM electrolyzer solution, an important component of the overall project.

“Converting CO2 from coal based thermal power to green methanol can significantly advance decarbonization and sustainability,” said Jncasr Professor Sebastian Peter, Breathe Applied Sciences co-founder and project leader of the CO2-to-Green Methanol plant from Jncasr. “We are excited to see our research applied in this pioneering project and looking forward to seeing it scale.”

Methanol is commonly used as a fuel or as a raw material in various industrial processes. Reducing or eliminating the carbon content of methanol production helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions and reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Technologies for converting CO2 to green methanol can also help decarbonize various sectors including the coal based thermal power sector.

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

Clariant Envicat N2O-S catalyst removes nitrous oxide (N2O) from the off-gas of nitric acid (HNO3) plants.(Source:  © Clariant)
Clariant Envicat N2O-S catalyst removes nitrous oxide (N2O) from the off-gas of nitric acid (HNO3) plants.
(Source: © Clariant)

November 19 – 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.”

Arcelormittal Poland Collaborates with Linde Gaz Polska to Develop New Hydrogen Plant

Linde Gaz Polska has entered into an agreement with Arcelormittal Poland to develop a hydrogen production plant on the site of its Krakow branch in Poland.(Source:  Pixabay)
Linde Gaz Polska has entered into an agreement with Arcelormittal Poland to develop a hydrogen production plant on the site of its Krakow branch in Poland.
(Source: Pixabay)

November 25 – Since 2018, Arcelormittal Poland has not used coal as a fuel in its Kraków branch, and since July this year it has not produced coke here. – Our installations: the hot rolling mill and the cold rolling mill, as well as the galvanizing and sheet metal painting lines, currently operate exclusively on the basis of natural gas – explains Łukasz Skorupa, COO Flat Products and Quality and director of the Krakow branch. "We are currently completing a project to build hydrogen furnaces, which allowed us to eliminate ammonia in the annealing plant. Its cost is PLN 52 million (12.58 million dollars). The project with Linde, on the other hand, is to ensure a reliable supply of hydrogen for our galvanizing plants. We are increasingly focusing on hydrogen," he adds.

The plant will be built near the galvanizing plant, producing hydrogen from natural gas. The investment has already begun, and design work is currently underway. In addition to hydrogen fuel for galvanizing plants, the Krakow branch of Arcelormittal Poland will also gain another environmental effect – it will completely eliminate ammonia from the process, which will increase the level of process safety of the plants.

"Since 2004, we have already invested nearly PLN 2.5 billion in Kraków's rolling mills and galvanizing plants. We are constantly improving the quality of our products, expanding their product range, and at the same time gradually reducing our environmental impact," says Wojciech Koszuta, CEO of Arcelormittal Poland. “Hence the elimination of ammonia and the transition to hydrogen. The decarbonization of our company is not only about activities in the area of steel production, but also in the processing part," he concludes.

"As an expert with over a century of experience in the field of hydrogen production, distribution and storage, we were able to offer Arcelormittal the best solutions available in the hydrogen sector, ensuring the highest level of operational plant safety and production process reliability," says Oleksandra Tuzhylina, CEO of Linde Gaz Polska.

Ineos, GNFC to Develop New World Scale Acetic Acid Plant

Ineos Acetyls and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals have recently signed a MOU to explore the feasibility to build a new world scale, 600kt acetic acid plant at GNFC's site in Bharuch, Gujarat, India.(Source:  Pixabay)
Ineos Acetyls and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals have recently signed a MOU to explore the feasibility to build a new world scale, 600kt acetic acid plant at GNFC's site in Bharuch, Gujarat, India.
(Source: Pixabay)

November 26 – Ineos Acetyls and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals (GNFC) have recently signed an MOU to explore the feasibility to build a new world scale, 600kt acetic acid plant at GNFC's site in Bharuch, Gujarat, India.

Ineos Acetyls are a leading producer of acetic acid globally and GNFC is the only current producer of acetic acid in India. The two companies have held a technology partnership for close to 30 years but will now establish a new joint venture which will manage bringing this project to market, currently forecast in 2028.

David Brooks, CEO Ineos Acetyls commented, "We are delighted to make this announcement today, working with our partner GNFC on this new project. India is recognized as being a key growth market for our products over the coming years and this investment will increase much needed locally produced acetic acid, reducing the country’s reliance on imports.”

Pankaj Joshi, MD GNFC commented that India imports ~85 % of its annual requirements of acetic acid. The proposed JV is expected to achieve the objective of ‘Make in India’. Domestication of acetic acid will serve existing demand and provide the required boost to other evolving downstream demands saving precious foreign exchange outgo.

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