Page 155 - CW E-Magazine (24-9-2024)

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greenhouse gas. It can then be put to Net zero target the gradual switch from bituminous The ‘REFHYNE II’ project achieved collaboration with Shell at its Energy a net-zero emissions company by 2050.
other uses, such as creating synthetic Wacker has set ambitious sustaina- coal to biogenic sources of carbon is to a fi nal investment decision in July 2024 and Chemicals Park Rheinland. Our In the coming years, we will be working
fuels (e-fuels) or synthesising methanol bility goals for itself. By 2030, the com- be complete by 2030. “Green electri- and in the longer term, renewable hydro- deep domain knowledge of Shell’s on key projects to achieve this. I am
as a starting material for other chemi- pany’s absolute greenhouse gas emis- city, sustainable carbon and carbon cap- gen from the project could be directly asset, local delivery capabilities and sector delighted that we are once again drawing
cal processes. Storing it underground sions are to be 50% lower (compared ture will one day make climate-neutral supplied to help reduce industrial emis- expertise enables us to support Shell’s on Worley’s expertise to help us make
(carbon capture and storage, CCS) is to 2020). By 2045, Wacker intends to silicon value chains a reality,” the com- sions in the region as customer demand transformation efforts and investments.” them a success.”
also an option. The project represents achieve net zero, which means it would pany said in a press note. The amount of evolves.
an important step on the road to closed no longer emit any net CO whatsoever. carbon dioxide released during silicon Mr. Marijn Bezuijen, Project Direc- The base oil production plant and re-
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carbon cycles. Silicon production in Holla is a major production is the most critical factor in Mr. André van Drunen, Manag- tor Rheinland, said, “The Energy and newable hydrogen facility are expected
piece of that puzzle. The objective for the carbon footprint of silicones. The ing Director Germany at Worley said, Chemicals Park Rheinland is on a trans- to start operations in the second half of
“What we need now are customers this site is full CO -neutral production. use of CO -neutral metallurgical-grade “These projects build on our long-term formation journey to help Shell become the decade.
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that will buy the CO from us and a The energy-intensive manufacturing silicon from Holla could signifi cantly
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regulatory framework that can help processes here began running on 100% reduce the carbon footprint of the com- PROJECT UPDATE
us build the business case,” noted green electricity from sources such as pany’s silicone products, the company SLB reports breakthrough results in sustainable lithium
Mr. Hartel. hydroelectric power back in 2022. And said.
production at US demo facility
REDUCING EMISSIONS
SLB, the American oilfi eld services
Worley supporting Shell in site conversion and renew- and technology company, has an-
able hydrogen production at German facility nounced it has proven its solution for
sustainable lithium production at scale
at its demonstration plant in Clayton
Australian engineering manage- Valley, Nevada (USA), to accelerate
ment and professional services, Worley, responsibly-sourced lithium products
is supporting Shell with the trans- to market.
formation programme at its Energy and
Chemicals Park Rheinland, converting The proprietary integrated solution
a hydrocracker at the site into a base oil combines SLB’s subsurface expertise
production unit, and enabling the pro- with surface engineering of advanced
duction of renewable hydrogen at the technologies that include direct lithium duce scalable quantities of lithium in the solution, from extracting lithium from
facility. extraction (DLE). It produces lithium fastest, most economical and sustainable brine to converting it to technical-grade
500 times faster than conventional meth- way for today’s market. This accelerates lithium carbonate, takes just hours. By
The Wesseling site near Cologne, ods while using only 10 percent of the deployment of viable commercial-scale comparison, evaporation methods can
Germany, plans to stop processing land. Operating at approximately one facilities for high-quality lithium pro- take up to 18 months and have a much
crude oils in 2025. The new base oil tenth the size of a commercial-scale ducts that are the backbone of our electri- lower recovery rate of 50 percent or less.
plant will have a production capacity facility, the plant reached a verifi ed fi cation economy.”
of around 300,000 tonnes per year. This ‘Assess, Select, and Defi ne’ phases of tion at the facility, with work carried recovery rate of 96% lithium from Lithium is sold commercially as
is equivalent to around 9 percent of EU the project. Now, as the project moves out to provide early front-end engi- brine, the company said in a press note. The conventional alternative for lithium chloride, used as a feedstock for
and 40 percent of Germany’s demand into the detailed design and procure- neering and design (pre-FEED), FEED, producing lithium from brine at scale is producing lithium metal; lithium car-
for base oils, which are used in making ment stages, Worley’s efforts are detailed design and integration services SLB’s solution is an end-to-end pro- evaporation. This process not only re- bonate, used in smartphones and short-
high-quality lubricants such as engine focused on providing quality services for the ‘REFHYNE II’ project. cess that includes advanced impurity quires a signifi cant amount of land but range EVs; and lithium hydroxide, used
and transmission oils. needed to meet the necessary standards treatment and concentration techno- also results in massive water loss. Salt, in long-range EV batteries. SLB said its
for functionality, safety, and regulatory This will see the installation of logies to produce high-purity lithium underground minerals and used chemi- solution is highly fl exible and can be
By repurposing the hydrocracker compliance. Work will continue to be a 100-MW electrolyser, expected to carbonate or hydroxide. The solution cals are then left at the surface, creating adjusted to produce any of these products.
and introducing a high degree of electrifi - based in Worley’s offi ce in Cologne, produce up to 44,000-kgs of renewa- also uses signifi cantly less water, energy impact on biodiversity and the environ- In proving this solution at its pilot plant,
cation, the project is expected to reduce supported by the business’s Global ble hydrogen every day, which Shell and fewer chemical reagents in compari- ment. SLB’s solution enhances sustaina- SLB completed specifi c technical mile-
Shell’s scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions Integrated Delivery team in Mumbai. will use to decarbonise its operations. son to other DLE-based offerings. bility by reducing water use. The process stones allowing it to fully qualify under
by around 620,000 tonnes a year. The electrolyser will be based on the Mr. Gavin Rennick, President of SLB’s New also returns the spent brine, or the brine the earn-in agreement with Pure Energy
Renewable hydrogen production 10-megawatt electrolyser, ‘REFHYNE Energy business, said, “SLB’s demon- with a reduced lithium concentration, Minerals Ltd. and, at its option, may
Worley was previously the primary Worley is also working with Shell I’, which started up in 2021 and uses stration plant in Clayton Valley proves back to its source after the lithium is acquire 100% ownership interest in the
engineering partner working on the to enable renewable hydrogen produc- the same technology. our unique integrated approach to pro- processed and separated. The entire SLB Clayton Valley Project.

154 Chemical Weekly September 24, 2024 Chemical Weekly September 24, 2024 155

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