Technology & Innovation

 

Massive advances needed
Processes will have to make a huge leap forward in their development if we are to achieve our target to reduce CO2 emissions. The longer products and processes are in use, the more difficult it is to find new ways to improve them and make them more efficient, as is evident from the processes required to produce chlorine and salt. The law of diminishing returns applies. Huge investments in time and money are required for minor improvements. Nonetheless, our technologists continue to succeed to get more life out of long established products and processes by introducing new technology.

Clever combinations
Another example of how to curb CO2 emissions is to use hydrogen released during chlorine production. Hydrogen is ideal for combining with CO2. Together they form the building blocks of methanol. By linking hydrogen with CO2 emissions, we can kill two birds with one stone. Both byproducts have a new and sustainable use. One of the cleanest ways to limit CO2 emissions, it also saves money.

Biobased products and technologies – the Industrial Chemicals of the future
Yet Industrial Chemicals will not achieve its sustainability targets by only improving existing fossil fuel-based processes. To reduce CO2 emissions even further, we will need to embrace greener, non-fossil sources. Our production facility in Mariager in Denmark uses wood to generate electricity. Wood and other plant-based materials can also be used to produce chemical building blocks. That is why our Green Power House platform is being developed into a new platform, known as Green Power House Plus, which will use biomass as an energy and raw material source. The process used will rely on fermentation, i.e. white biotechnology. In other words, we aim to utilize micro-organisms such as fungi and bacteria, which convert biomass into basic chemicals such as ethanol en methanol, and then for example into acetic acid. A possible, and revolutionary, example might be chlorination produced via a biochemical route.

Reduce CO2 footprint even more
Industrial Chemicals is on the brink of a breakthrough in its use of raw materials, process technology and bioprocess technology. Only in this way is it possible to make the progress needed to drive down CO2 emissions. This has taken on a new urgency because of our aim to reduce our CO2 footprint even further - by 20-25 percent per ton product in 2020. We believe gradual improvement is not the way forward. Huge advances are needed and that is why Industrial Chemicals´ Green Power House Plus will embrace a biobased approach.