CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
BASF Corporation | August 05, 2022
BASF has announced it will produce more 2-Pyrrolidone and N-Octyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NOP) at its Geismar, Louisiana, Verbund site. The production is anticipated to be on-stream in the second half of 2022 and will ensure a global supply of HEP and NOP.
"Our customers want to continue to grow in the ink, automotive and agricultural markets and will need increasing quantities for the foreseeable future. We can accompany these growth plans thanks to our double-digit-million-dollar investment by BASF in Geismar.”
Erika Peterman, Senior Vice President, Chemical Intermediates, North America
“It became clear that our facility in Geismar would make a perfect fit for increased production of HEP and NOP in the region,” explained Stefanie Demming, Vice President, Operations & Technology, Chemical Intermediates, North America. “We are pleased to take on a global supply role in North America.”
N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-2-Pyrrolidone (HEP) is a versatile chemical intermediate. It proves essential as (co)-solvent for the production of crop protection agents, electronic, coating and inkjet formulations.
N-Octyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NOP) is a versatile chemical intermediate used particularly as a solvent and low-foaming surfactant. Among other things, NOP is used as a solvent in the production of crop protection active ingredients, it is also used as a wetting agent in dishwashing detergents as well as various automotive applications.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the US affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,700 employees in North America and had sales of $25.9 billion in 2021.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €78.6 billion in 2021. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts in the U.S. Further.
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Johnson Matthey | August 04, 2022
On 2nd August 2022, A Memorandum of Understanding signed by Sinopec Capital and Johnson Matthey China signals the start of active dialogues to explore joint possibilities across green and blue hydrogen, fuel cells, decarbonisation technologies and circular economy business in China.
Mr ZHOU Meiyun, Deputy Chairman and General Manager of Sinopec Capital, said: "Sinopec has made its long term development strategic goal and dedicated to become a No.1 hydrogen company in China and a leading clean energy company in the world. Sinopec is committed to develop and use various carbon reduction technologies including energy conservation and reduction, green energy replacement, and CCUS technologies and makes full efforts to reach the carbon neutralization target before 2060. We wish to have a deep collaboration with Johnson Matthey in carbon reduction and green energy fields to fully support achieving China's national strategic goal of 30/60 carbon peak/carbon neutralization."
"Johnson Matthey has a long heritage in China. We are China's leading auto catalyst producer, one of the largest platinum group metals refiners, a leading player across syngas and hydrogen fuel cells, and the first commercial scale MEA producer in China. Some of the world's biggest companies already rely on our technologies, and we are very excited to explore how we can work with Sinopec to expand our businesses whilst creating and scaling the low carbon solutions that help China achieve the carbon neutrality by 2060."
Dr Mark Su, Johnson Matthey's China President
Sinopec is the largest oil and petrochemical products supplier and the second largest oil and gas producer in China. It is also the largest refining company and the second largest chemical company in the world. Sinopec Capital is a fully owned subsidiary of Sinopec Group launched in 2018 with RMB10bn initial paid-in registered capital. The company makes strategic equity investment activities on new energy, new material, energy conservation and environmental protection, advanced manufacturing, big data and artificial intelligence to support Sinopec Group transforming from a traditional energy provider to a leading clean energy company in the world.
Johnson Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies that enable a cleaner and healthier world. Its technologies have a global impact in areas such as low emission transport, energy, chemical processing and making the most efficient use of the planet's natural resources. It is a world leading hydrogen technologies player, with technologies supporting the development and production of green and blue hydrogen and fuel cells. Its China business started in 1993, growing to a top 50 company in Shanghai. It has 6 state-of-the art manufacturing facilities, proudly delivering over 120 million auto catalysts over the last 2 decades. It is the leading membrane electrode assembly (MEA) producer in China, and produced the MEAs for hydrogen fuel cell shuttle buses showcased in the Beijing Winter Olympic 2022.
About JM
Johnson Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies that enable a cleaner and healthier world. With over 200 years of sustained commitment to innovation and technological breakthroughs, we improve the performance, function and safety of our customers' products. Our science has a global impact in areas such as low emission transport, energy, chemical processing and making the most efficient use of the planet's natural resources. Today about 15,000 Johnson Matthey professionals collaborate with our network of customers and partners to make a real difference to the world around us.
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
Hexagon Agility | August 02, 2022
On 21 April 2022 Hexagon Composites and Hexagon Purus announced that it signed an agreement to acquire a 40% stake in Cryoshelter GmbH, an Austria based company specialized in the development of cryogenic tank technology for liquid natural gas and liquid hydrogen.
Hexagon is pleased to announce that the transaction has been successfully completed, and Hexagon Composites now owns 40% of Cryoshelter's LNG/RLNG business, with options to buy remaining interests over the next 3-10 years.
Hexagon Purus has also completed the acquisition of its previously announced 40% stake in Cryoshelter’s LH2 business.
The Hexagon Group today provides compressed natural gas including renewable natural gas (RNG), compressed hydrogen and battery-electric systems as part of its portfolio of clean fuel vehicle solutions. Liquid storage of (renewable) natural gas and hydrogen will add a new dimension to its existing offering, complementing its portfolio and unlocking new opportunities for Hexagon Agility and Hexagon Purus, respectively.
Commercializing and Industrializing Cryoshelter Tanks
The Hexagon and Cryoshelter partnership will accelerate Cryoshelter’s existing LNG/RLNG technology and production capability and use the LNG technology platform to further develop LH2 solutions for the heavy-duty transportation sector.
“Cryoshelter’s disruptive technology will further strengthen our efforts to drive decarbonization of heavy-duty vehicles, with a special emphasis on the European market where clean, energy efficient cryogenic LNG/RLNG fuels are needed due to limited space on trucks,” says Seung Baik, President Hexagon Agility. “We are excited to be working together with Cryoshelter to further develop the technology and scale up the business over the coming years.”
“The investment into Cryoshelter’s early phase LH2 tank technology brings expertise in LH2 tank technology for zero emission mobility applications and could potentially result in a future complementary offering to Hexagon Purus’ leading compressed hydrogen cylinder technology,”
Morten Holum, CEO Hexagon Purus
“We are excited to team up with Hexagon as they bring industrial expertise, a global presence and customer potential to escalate the scale up of our operations,” says Dr. Matthias Rebernik, CEO and Founder of Cryoshelter. “Hexagon’s investment into our company is proof of confidence in our state-of-the-art technology.”
Cryoshelter is split into separate legal entities for the LNG/RLNG and LH2 businesses. Hexagon Agility and Hexagon Purus will take two seats each on the respective boards of Cryoshelter’s two businesses.
Expanding clean fuel options for commercial trucks
In contrast with North America, where compressed natural gas is the primary natural gas technology for long-haul trucking, LNG/RLNG has emerged as the leading natural gas alternative in Europe due to a significant infrastructure network, favorable cost position and preferred truck configuration.
Over the last several years, the number of new LNG truck registrations and fueling stations have increased significantly, and higher growth is expected over the next decade as fleet operators are opting for readily available, cost competitive fuels with immediate emission saving potential such as biomethane (or RNG). In liquid form, natural gas has a higher energy density. Cryoshelter’s technology will leverage this energy density to better utilize vehicle frame rail space and provide a driving range that is comparable to diesel.
Supported by European legislation, it is expected that renewable natural gas, alongside battery-electric and fuel cell-electric technologies will play a key role in the efforts to decarbonize the commercial transportation sector in Europe.
Liquid hydrogen, a compelling future alternative
Hydrogen is gathering strong momentum as a key energy transition pillar towards zero emission, and is underpinned by a global shift of regulators, investors, and consumers increasingly focused on decarbonization. It has become clear that hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonizing “hard to abate” sectors.
Liquid hydrogen storage technology can offer higher energy density compared to compressed hydrogen storage, and in space and/or payload-constrained applications, such as certain heavy-duty trucking applications, shipping, commercial aviation, and aerospace, it could be a compelling future alternative.
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