Industry Decarbonization Newsletter

A promising recycling technology♻️, a stable pilot plant🏭, but no investor🪙 In my latest, I cover the interesting story of Carboliq, a chemical recycling startup that is currently in a very difficult situation.🔌💡 industrydecarbonization.com/news/a-promi...

Carboliq has been quite transparent with data from its trial runs, and that data looks quite favorable. Its technology is sufficiently different from most other chemical recycling approaches that it seems worthwhile to pursue.

The connection to Carboliq and its parent company Recenso GmbH is a very indirect one. The roots of Carboliq's technology can be traced back to another company named Alphakat that was once a partner of Recenso. They parted ways long ago.

There's an extremely fascinating backstory. It has everything. A corruption investigation in Ethiopia. An exclusive deal with a weapons manufacturer. A former motivational speaker & diamond trader now trying to turn a waste processing technology into a fossil fuel technology. Fuel from cats (a hoax)

I recently wrote a post about Carboliq, a chemical recycling company that is facing bankruptcy. I got some positive reactions&thought "I should write something quick for my newsletter". Whenever I think I should "write something quick", it's never quick... industrydecarbonization.com/news/a-promi...

Green H2 plant delayed 4 years due to safety repairs & accident💧🔋 A Linde electrolyzer in Leuna, Germany, was supposed to start production in 2022, but no production start has been announced yet. I'm finally able to reveal the backstory: industrydecarbonization.com/news/safety-...

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...

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.🔌💡 🧵

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

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.🔌💡 🧵

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... 🔌💡 🧵

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...

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...

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...

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-... 🧵

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...

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...

The UNFCCC makes it needlessly difficult to download emission data📊📈 I am now providing a service that allows downloading bundles of tables that the UNFCCC — for whatever reason — does not want you to access easily. 🔌💡 industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-is-...