CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
ExxonMobil | August 30, 2021
ExxonMobil today announced its majority-owned affiliate, Imperial Oil Ltd., is moving forward with plans to produce renewable diesel at a new complex at its Strathcona refinery in Edmonton, Canada. When construction is complete, the refinery is expected to produce approximately 20,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel, which could reduce emissions in the Canadian transportation sector by about 3 million metric tons per year. The complex will utilize locally grown plant-based feedstock and hydrogen with carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of the manufacturing process.
“Canada’s proposed low-carbon fuel policies incentivize the development of lower-emission fuels that can make meaningful contributions to the hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy, including transportation,” said Ian Carr, president of ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Company. “The Strathcona project is an example of how well-designed policies allow us to leverage our existing global facilities for capital efficiency, utilize our proprietary catalyst technology, and bring our decades of processing experience to develop low-emission fuels.”
The renewable diesel production process will utilize blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage. Production of blue hydrogen has been shown to have substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventionally produced hydrogen. Approximately 500,000 metric tons of CO2 are expected to be captured each year utilizing CCS. The blue hydrogen and biofeedstock will be combined with a proprietary catalyst to produce premium low-carbon diesel fuel.
“Canada’s proposed low-carbon fuel policies incentivize the development of lower-emission fuels that can make meaningful contributions to the hard-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy, including transportation,” said Ian Carr, president of ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Company. “The Strathcona project is an example of how well-designed policies allow us to leverage our existing global facilities for capital efficiency, utilize our proprietary catalyst technology, and bring our decades of processing experience to develop low-emission fuels.”
The renewable diesel production process will utilize blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage. Production of blue hydrogen has been shown to have substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventionally produced hydrogen. Approximately 500,000 metric tons of CO2 are expected to be captured each year utilizing CCS. The blue hydrogen and biofeedstock will be combined with a proprietary catalyst to produce premium low-carbon diesel fuel.
The Strathcona renewable diesel project is part of ExxonMobil’s plans to provide more than 40,000 barrels per day of low-emissions fuels by 2025. In the United States, the company has agreed to purchase up to 5 million barrels of renewable diesel annually from Global Clean Energy to supply markets in California. Chemically similar to petroleum-based diesel, renewable diesel can be readily blended for use in engines on the market today.
About ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy companies, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world.
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CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
Agilyx Patent | September 14, 2021
Agilyx Corporation , a wholly owned subsidiary of Agilyx AS (Euronext Growth (Oslo): and a pioneer in the chemical recycling of post-use plastics has been granted a patent continuation for its process of breaking down waste polystyrene into its chemical building block, styrene monomer. The continuation of US patent number 11,041,123 further confirms Agilyx's depolymerization technology extends to the breaking down of all waste plastic polymers into their respective discrete monomers and is not only limited to polystyrene. This patent demonstrates the versatility of Agilyx's innovation portfolio while continuing to advance its position as a leader in the depolymerization of waste plastics.
"This patent continuation demonstrates the robustness and versatility of the Agilyx technology, not restricting our claims to polystyrene to styrene monomer; thereby, expanding our patent coverage to depolymerization of polymers back to the monomer level, enabling greater circularity for more plastics," stated Dr. Chris Faulkner, CTO at Agilyx. "Essentially, our process has not changed. We are using the same technology on the same machinery, though it may be operated in a slightly different way depending on the polymer. The recognition that this technology applies to a broader range of polymers is an exciting advancement in our mission to increase recycling and circularity of post-use plastics."
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CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
LBB | January 11, 2021
LBB Specialties LLC ("LBB Specialties") announced today that it has acquired a majority interest in Custom Chemical Services, Inc. ("CCS"), a strong regional specialty chemical and ingredients distributor based in Medley, FL. CCS's President, Chad Hicks, will continue to manage the business. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
LBB Specialties, through its subsidiary companies, American International Chemical ("AIC"), Charkit Chemical Company ("Charkit"), Custom Ingredients, Inc. ("Custom"), and Dien LLC ("Dien") is a leader in the North American specialty chemical and ingredients distribution industry. It provides specialty chemicals to a wide range of customers and sources from a diverse base of chemical producers globally.
CCS undertook this transaction to position the company for long-term, continued growth. "The investment brings additional resources and commercial relationships to support the growth of CCS's principals and customers, building upon the success of our dedicated CCS team. We are excited about our future and the partnership with LBB Specialties, and believe significant opportunities lie ahead," commented Chad Hicks, President of CCS.
Darren J. Birkelbach, Chief Executive Officer of LBB Specialties, stated "We are thrilled by the addition of CCS to the LBB Specialties platform. CCS built its reputation as a strong regional distributor by partnering with high-quality principals and providing excellent service to its loyal customers. We look forward to providing resources and support to build on CCS's success and fuel on-going growth as we continue to build LBB Specialties as a leader in the North American specialty chemical and ingredients distribution market."
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