IHI Contributes to Carbon-Neutral Future by Launching World’s First Lower Olefin Pilot Production at Thai Petrochemicals Plant
- To tap CO₂ from petroleum product manufacturing process to make resin materials -
IHI Corporation has completed the installation of a pilot plant for the production of lower olefins(*1) at a petrochemical facility operated by SCG Chemicals Public Company Limited (hereinafter “SCGC”), a subsidiary of The Siam Cement Group Public Company Limited, which is affiliated with the Thai royal family. The plant has commenced operation, utilizing actual exhaust gas from an existing naphtha cracker as feedstock. To mark this occasion, a commissioning ceremony was held, attended by Mr. Sakchai Patiparnpreechavud, CEO of SCGC, and Dr. Akiko Iimura, Executive Director of NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization).
Second from left, Dr. Nobuhiko Kubota, Managing Executive Officer of IHI, General Manager of Corporate Research and Development Division
Third from left, Sakchai Patiparnpreechavud, CEO of SCG Chemicals
Fourth from left, Dr. Akiko Iimura, Executive Director of NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization)
The pilot plant synthesizes lower olefins with CO2 separated and recovered from exhaust gas supplied by SCGC’s naphtha cracker (*2) along with hydrogen by-products from other processes within SCGC. IHI developed a CO2 conversion catalyst (*3) to enable that reaction. This is the world’s first pilot plant to use CO2 emissions from a naphtha cracker as feedstock.
Pilot operations will continue through the end of March 2026 with the small-scale operation, using around 100 kilograms of CO₂ per day. IHI and SCGC will compare the physical properties of lower olefins from the pilot plant with those from SCGC’s existing commercial facility and assess compatibility. Based on these findings, it will explore optimal synthesis conditions and integration requirements with the existing plant to support future commercialization.
The pilot plant forms part of IHI’s efforts under a project that the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization commissioned in fiscal 2021 entitled “the Development of Technologies for Carbon Recycling and Next-Generation Thermal Power Generation / the Development of Technologies for reduction, and effective use and practical application of CO₂ emissions / the Research and Development on
the Direct Conversion of CO₂ into Lower Olefins.” This pilot operation in the chemical industry marks a significant step toward realizing carbon-neutral manufacturing processes. IHI will keep striving to achieve its vision of creating a world where nature and technology work in unity.
Notes
*1. Lower olefins is a generic term for ethylene, propylene, and other products that are raw materials for many key basic chemicals. They are used in manufacturing such resin and plastics as packaging materials, and plastic bottles, and other daily essentials.
*2. A naphtha cracker is a facility that produces basic petrochemical feedstocks such as ethylene, propylene, and aromatic compounds.
*3. A carbon dioxide conversion catalyst uses carbon dioxide and hydrogen as raw materials for synthesizing lower olefins and other hydrocarbons.
Related news releases
November 11, 2021 – Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization Commissions IHI to Recycle CO₂ and Develop Olefin Manufacturing Technology
-Company to recycle carbon as raw material for plastics and resins-
https://www.ihi.co.jp/en/all_news/2021/resources_energy_environment/1197588_3360.html
July 4, 2023 – IHI to Conduct Proof-of-Concept Tests at Thai Petrochemicals Plant for Sustainable Lower Olefin Synthesis Technology from CO₂ as Feedstock
-To tap CO₂ from petroleum product manufacturing process to make resin materials-
https://www.ihi.co.jp/en/all_news/2023/resources_energy_environment/1199834_3523.html