AIR LIQUIDE is buying the world’s largest oxygen production site – from Sasol in South Africa – and has committed to reducing CO2 emissions from the operations by 30%.
The 17 air separation units at Sasol’s site in Secunda produce 42,000 t/d of oxygen for use in synthetic fuels and chemicals produced from coal. Air Liquide built all 17 units over the last 40 years, but to date operated only one of them – the largest – which started operations in 2018.
The sale by Sasol is part of efforts to sell assets so it can focus on core operations, and to decarbonise its business, the company said.
Air Liquide said it will invest around €440m (US$530m) and in coordination with Sasol is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions from the oxygen-production operations by 30–40% by 2030. This includes modernising the units, using digitalisation techniques to optimise operation, and investing in 600 MW of renewable energy.
By: Adam Duckett
Source: The Chemical Engineer
We are closing the chapter of the Chemicals Import Export Headquarters, and opening a new chapter under the name of Qemetica – a chemical group driving many industries on all continents. Therefore, the change of name is also accompanied by the adoption of the key goals of the business strategy for the next 6 years. – says Kamil Majczak, President of the Management Board.
In its efforts to advance chemical recycling, Neste has successfully conducted its first processing trial run with a new challenging raw material, liquefied discarded tires. In the processing run, Neste produced high-quality raw material for new plastics and chemicals.
Sika is opening a state-of-the-art facility in Lima, Peru, to produce synthetic macro fibers, and expanding the rollout of a product range with great growth potential in Latin America. With this innovative technology, Sika is further strengthening its position as a leading supplier to the mining industry and a strong partner for infrastructure projects.
