Plastic pyrolysis is a controversial technology that could recycle plastic waste that is currently unrecyclable🪣🗑️🔥🏭♻️. However, Plastic Energy, one of the leading pyrolysis companies, is in financial peril💶. Check my latest newsletter 🔌💡 industrydecarbonization.com/news/chemica...

Chemical Recycling, Pyrolysis, and the downfall of Plastic Energy

The chemical industry promised that favorable policy treatment of chemical recycling would enable investments in more circularity and alternative feedstocks. However, one of the most promising compani...

industrydecarbonization.com

It is possible that broader developments within the chemical industry impacted Plastic Energy. SABIC recently sold its assets in Geleen, including the cracker that was supposed to process pyrolysis oil from its joint venture with Plastic Energy.

Furthermore, Plastic Energy never caused any negative headlines about pollution😷, fires🔥, explosions💥, or other incidents that are not uncommon in this industry — one reason why it is so controversial. Plastic Energy's UK-based companies are now in an administration process and looking for buyers.

Plastic Energy appeared to be one of the more successful players. It has 2 plants🏭🏭 in Spain🇪🇸 and lately built two larger ones in collaboration with TotalEnergies and SABIC.

The chemicals/plastics industry in Europe🇪🇺 promised that favorable policy, so-called fuel-use exempt mass balance, would unlock massive investments into chemical recycling. However, even though it looks like the industry will get most (but not al) what it asked for, the prospects don't look good.

Plastic Energy, one of the most promising chemical recycling🧪♻️ startups, is in financial peril💶 Plastic pyrolysis is a technology that promises to recycle plastic waste🗑️ too dirty or mixed to be recycled otherwise. It's also a controversial technology with a history littered with failures.🔌💡 🧵

Chemical Recycling, Pyrolysis, and the downfall of Plastic Energy

The chemical industry promised that favorable policy treatment of chemical recycling would enable investments in more circularity and alternative feedstocks. However, one of the most promising compani...

industrydecarbonization.com

SunGas Announces Cessation of Beaver Lake Biofuels Project sungasrenewables.com/sungas-annou... This was one of the largest Green Methanol projects outside of China, and it looks like it won't happen.

SunGas Announces Cessation of Beaver Lake Biofuels Project - SunGas Renewables

Carbon Direct & C2X advance Beaver Lake Biofuels in Louisiana, producing biofuel and CDR credits from forestry byproducts.

sungasrenewables.com

Is making fuels & chemicals from Water, CO₂, and Green Electricity viable?💧🏭⚡ Recently, Liquid Wind 💧💨, a Swedish developer of E-Methanol plants, filed for bankruptcy. It wanted to make Methanol, e.g., to fuel ships🚢, with green H2 & CO₂ from bioenergy🏭🔥 industrydecarbonization.com/news/should-... 🧵

Should we give up on E-Methanol and CO₂ utilization?

Liquid Wind, a Swedish developer of E-Methanol projects, filed for bankruptcy. While Green Methanol is an important climate solution, is it time to ask whether making it from nothing but CO₂, Water, a...

industrydecarbonization.com

SaltX+Holcim announced they produced Portland-quality cement with a fully electrified process www.saltxtechnology.com/cision/saltx... "Common wisdom" is that electrifying cement is really hard. Some try it anyway.

SaltX and Holcim have produced Portland-quality cement clinker in a fully electrified process - SaltX Technology

SaltX Technology and Holcim have, within the framework of their joint development collaboration, successfully and repeatedly produced Portland-quality cement clinker using a fully electrified, scalabl...

saltxtechnology.com

I wrote a detailed background article about the Danish CCS tender recently: industrydecarbonization.com/news/denmark...

Denmark's CCS Strategy: Deliver or Pay

In recent years, Denmark pushed CCS technology and ran multiple tenders handing out substantial subsidies. But they came with a catch: either deliver on time or risk hefty penalties. What can be learn...

industrydecarbonization.com

Gaia is a collaboration between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners & Vestforbrænding, the project wants to implement CCS at a waste incinerator🗑️🔥 in Copenhagen🧜🏻 (not the famous "Copenhill" incinerator). There have recently been changes in the company behind the Gaia project, likely to shift risks.

In response to a freedom of information request, the Danish Energy Agency🇩🇰⚡🏢 confirmed to me that the two bidders are Aalborg Portland and Gaia ProjectCo, the latter being the "secret" second bidder.

In a surprise turn of events, the Danish Energy Agency announced two bids earlier this year. One bidder had announced to "drop out" and then reconsidered. While it was widely suspected who the second bidder was, there was no final confirmation.

"Secret bidder" in Danish CCS tender confirmed 🤫💨🏭🇩🇰 Denmark currently runs a tender process for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects. In the latest round, 9 out of 10 preselected projects had announced their withdrawal from the process, with only the cement plant🪨🏭 Aalborg Portland left.🔌💡 🧵

How Europe🇪🇺 lost a massive opportunity for the future of the chemical industry🧪🏭 A startup with close ties to shipping🚢 giant Maersk wanted to build a fossil-free plastics plant in Antwerp, Belgium. 🔌💡 🧵 industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-chi...

Why China Is Winning the Green Methanol Race

Methanol made from sustainable feedstocks is a key technology for climate-neutral shipping, aviation, and fossil-free chemicals. Chinese companies are already building industrial production facilities...

industrydecarbonization.com

China's Green Methanol Industry is racing ahead 🇨🇳🌱⚗️🏎️ Many expect that Green Methanol is the future clean shipping fuel🚢⛽, as well as a promising feedstock for sustainable aviation fuels✈️ & fossil-free plastics🧴 In 2023, something happened in China🇨🇳 industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-chi... 🔌💡 🧵

Why China Is Winning the Green Methanol Race

Methanol made from sustainable feedstocks is a key technology for climate-neutral shipping, aviation, and fossil-free chemicals. Chinese companies are already building industrial production facilities...

industrydecarbonization.com

How 8/10 projects in Denmark's CCS latest tender dropped out 🇩🇰 Denmark has started handing out significant subsidies to CCS projects. In its latest tender, 10 projects were pre-selected: the only cement plant🪨🏭 + 9 projects at bioenergy🪵🔥 and waste-to-energy🗑️🔥 plants. In the end, only 2 remained🔌💡 🧵

Denmark's CCS Strategy: Deliver or Pay

In recent years, Denmark pushed CCS technology and ran multiple tenders handing out substantial subsidies. But they came with a catch: either deliver on time or risk hefty penalties. What can be learn...

industrydecarbonization.com

In the coming years, we will likey see a cement plant🪨🏭, Biomethane🌱 upgraders, two bioenergy plants, and a waste-to-energy plant with CCS in Denmark. I sympathize with the first two. I'm skeptical about bioenergy plants and waste incinerators with CCS. More in my latest newsletter.

In the last round, 9 of 10 preselected applicants dropped out, all of them bioenergy🪵🔥 or waste-to-energy🗑️🔥 plants. Did I say 9? Well, 9 announced they were dropping out, but one mystery🔮 bidder decided to un-drop out. The tender ended with two bids.

What happens if you offer generous subsidies💰 for Carbon Capture and Storage💨 - but you demand that projects deliver on time⏰? In recent years, Denmark🇩🇰 has started a rollout of CCS technology. 🔌💡 🧵 industrydecarbonization.com/news/denmark...

Denmark's CCS Strategy: Deliver or Pay

In recent years, Denmark pushed CCS technology and ran multiple tenders handing out substantial subsidies. But they came with a catch: either deliver on time or risk hefty penalties. What can be learn...

industrydecarbonization.com

Some of the cleanest Caprolactam factories are shutting down 🧪🏭🚧 The production of a chemical used to make Nylon+plastics, results in significant N₂O emissions, a potent greenhouse gas🌿🏠🔥, but emissions can easily be avoided. 🔌💡 industrydecarbonization.com/news/some-of...

Some of the cleanest Polyamide and Nylon precursor Factories are shutting down

The production of a chemical called Caprolactam results in significant N₂O emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Most EU producers largely avoid these emissions. Some have made investments in drastic em...

industrydecarbonization.com

The plant you can see in this picture had CO2 emissions of around 300-400 thousand tons annually up until 2014. But, according to an EU emission database, it had no emissions for the three following years and only around 1/1000th of the emissions in later years. 🔌💡 /thread 🧵

More in my latest newsletter. And if you prefer a video, I presented this at the #39C3 - a recording is available: media.ccc.de/v/39c3-green...

Greenhouse Gas Emission Data

Data about greenhouse gas emissions, both from countries and individual factories, is often publicly available. However, the data source...

media.ccc.de

In all likelihood, the data📊 was entered in the wrong unit🤷‍♂️ Less clear is why an ArcelorMittal steel🔩 plant & a Yara fertilizer🌾 plant in France🇫🇷 have diverging emissions for some years in the ETS and the EU's Industrial Emissions Portal. (Brought to my attention by @leonardstimpfle.bsky.social)

It's so much that it is hard to believe this really happened. And that is not the only odd thing I found in emission databases. Another factory in Iceland, Elkem's ferrosilicon plant, did not report CO₂ emissions for multiple years, and afterwards, they fell by a factor of 1,000 twice.

Was there a massive leak of a dangerous greenhouse gas in Iceland🇮🇸 in 2011-or was it a data📈 reporting error? Emission databases show that the Norðurál aluminium factory🏭 released 60 tons of SF₆ in 2011 — but no such emissions in any other year. 🔌💡 industrydecarbonization.com/news/errors-... 🧵

Errors and Inconsistencies in European Emission Data

Factories that suddenly have emissions a thousand times lower than before, unexplained data gaps, and inconsistent CO₂ emissions from different data sources are some of the issues one finds when havin...

industrydecarbonization.com

SF6, a Greenhouse Gas 25,000 times as bad as CO2 💨🟡🌍🔥 It's been known that reported📊 SF6 emissions & measurements☁️ don't match. Now, scientists have been able to identify a significant SF6 source in Southern Germany - a chemical plant🧪🏭 operated by Solvay industrydecarbonization.com/news/super-e...

Super-Emitter of the most Damaging Greenhouse Gas found in Germany

Through atmospheric measurements, scientists have identified a chemical factory operated by Solvay in Southern Germany as the source of massive amounts of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆) emissions. Being 24...

industrydecarbonization.com

A Solvay factory in Bad Wimpfen emits far more than reported. Solvay and local authorities are now in legal disputes over orders to reduce & measure emissions. It's probably safe to say that this is truly impactful climate research by Katharina Meixner, Andreas Engel, and their many collaborators.

It also has an extreme impact on the climate, with a 100-year global warming potential of ~24.000. Studies have warned that atmospheric measurements and reported SF6 emissions don't add up. And now, it looks like the research was able to find a major source of these discrepancies.

It's the worst known greenhouse gas, and a factory in Southern Germany emits a lot of it 🌍🏡💨🏭 Sulfur Hexafluoride or SF6 is a gas that has been used in Nike shoes (until 2006), Magnesium production, soundproof windows, and electric switchgear. 🔌💡 /thread 🧵 industrydecarbonization.com/news/super-e...

Super-Emitter of the most Damaging Greenhouse Gas found in Germany

Through atmospheric measurements, scientists have identified a chemical factory operated by Solvay in Southern Germany as the source of massive amounts of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆) emissions. Being 24...

industrydecarbonization.com