Nextchem’s MyRechemical awarded an engineering contract by Alia Servizi Ambientali for a waste to methanol and hydrogen plant in Empoli, Italy

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary MyRechemical, NextChem’s subsidiary dedicated to Waste-to-Chemicals technologies, has been awarded by Alia Servizi Ambientali S.p.A. a basic engineering contract for a waste to methanol and hydrogen plant to be located in Empoli (Tuscany), Italy.

The scope of work includes basic engineering design of the plant and the provision of necessary documentation to start the plant’s public authorization process with the Tuscany region. The basic engineering phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. 

Once authorized and completed, the plant will process 256,000 tons/yr. of non-recyclable waste and will produce 125,000 tons/yr. of methanol and 1,400 tons/yr. of hydrogen. The plant will benefit from MyRechemical’s chemical conversion technology which allows the recovery of waste that cannot be mechanically recycled, or other types of unsortable dry waste (i.e. Refuse Derived Fuel – RDF). The carbon and hydrogen contained in the waste are converted through a gasification process into a synthesis gas, which is used to produce low-carbon methanol and hydrogen. This process avoids the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere. Methanol is used as an alternative fuel for sustainable mobility or as a secondary raw material in the chemicals and manufacturing industries. Hydrogen can be used in low-carbon industrial processes to decarbonize hard-to-abate and energy intensive industries.

Alessandro Bernini, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem, commented: “This is one of the more interesting waste-to-chemicals initiatives that Maire Tecnimont is developing in Italy. This is the first application worldwide of an integrated technological scheme that allows to produce methanol from waste for sustainable mobility and hydrogen that will substitute methane in glass production processes, enabling both recycling and industrial symbiosis. It responds to the core need of circular economy and creates the bases of a new era of waste as a resource”.

“It will be possible to push the limits forward in recovering material from waste only by using more technology and innovation. We have signed a strategic partnership with Maire Tecnimont, leader in the Italian chemistry tradition”, commented Alberto Irace, Chief Executive Officer of Alia, “This represents a model of strategic alliance for circularity where Maire Tecnimont, Zignago, Suez and Alia, all leading companies in technology and industry, are joining their forces to design and realize a sustainable future”.

Source: Maire Tecnimont

Nextchem awarded advanced basic engineering study by Storengy (Engie) for a new way of producing bio-methane from pyrogasification of waste wood

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary NextChem has been awarded a contract by Storengy to carry out an Advanced Basic Engineering Study for a waste wood and solid recovered fuel conversion plant to produce biomethane. Once the project has reached the final investment decision targeted by the end of 2022 and is granted the related permitting, NextChem, in association with another Maire Tecnimont Group’s subsidiary, shall act as an EPC contractor for the methanation package of the project, which is set to be implemented in Le Havre, France. 

Storengy, an ENGIE subsidiary, is one of the world leaders in underground natural gas storage. Drawing on 70 years of experience, Storengy designs, develops and operates storage facilities and offers its customers innovative products. Storengy wants to become the European reference in hydrogen storage and in production of renewable gases, which are of particular relevance in the current market environment to deliver a clean, secure and affordable energy transition. 

NextChem is Maire Tecnimont Group’s company for the development of technologies in the field of green chemistry and energy transition, with a portfolio including proprietary and exclusive licensed technologies and technology integration platforms focused on three areas: reduction of pollutant and GHG emissions released from existing plants, mechanical recycling and chemical recycling, as well as technologies which use biomass or biological raw materials to produce intermediates, bio-fuels and bio-plastics.

NextChem will be responsible for the engineering and cost estimating for the syngas purification, methanation unit and methane upgrading of the plant, which will produce 11,000 tons per annum of renewable and low carbon natural gas (biomethane). French company COMESSA will be responsible for the design and supply of the chemical reactor. The technology to be used in the plant has already been successfully applied to the Gaya pilot plant near Lyon, owned by ENGIE, which validated the feasibility to produce biomethane. This will be the first commercial project in the world of its kind to inject in the grid methane produced through pyrogasification of waste wood, kick-starting the so called “second generation biomethane”.

NextChem and Storengy will also establish a broader cooperation agreement with the aim that NextChem would act as strategic partner, co-developer and co-licensor of the Gaya technology currently patented and owned by ENGIE.

Alessandro Bernini, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem, commented: “One of the main challenges today is to find solutions for the substitution of natural gas of fossil origin with sustainable alternatives: in order to reach this objective, our group is actively developing a range of solutions to produce biogas and syngas from waste. We are proud of this engagement with ENGIE that allows us to broaden our green tech portfolio and further strengthen our presence in Europe in Energy Transition”. 

Camille Bonenfant-Jeanneney, Chief Executive Officer at Storengy, commented: “Storengy salutes this agreement with Tecnimont Group and NextChem, which is a great opportunity to pursue common development projects in order to offer concrete, innovative and replicable solutions to our clients. In a carbon-neutral world, renewable gases will play an essential role to provide resiliency and flexibility to the energy system”.

Source: Maire Tecnimont

Nextchem (Maire Tecnimont Group) in partnership with SMS Group for an EP project to support the decarbonization of a steel plant in the Russian Federation

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. has announced that its subsidiary, NextChem, has been awarded an EP Lump Sum subcontract by Paul Wurth, a company of the SMS group, to implement two Catalytic Partial Oxidation reactor units. These will be installed at an existing integrated steel production plant in the Russian Federation. 

NextChem will be a technology partner in order to implement natural gas-fed syngas generation for a blast furnace by substituting coke with a syngas production of 140,000 Nm3/h via its proprietary CPO technology.

The project’s scope of work includes the supply of proprietary technology, Basic Design and Detailed Engineering, proprietary equipment and catalyst. This will facilitate efficient natural gas conversion to hot syngas. 

NextChem will be also responsible for the supervision over the conduct of tests and the start-up of the CPO reactor units. The project’s completion is expected within 16 months from the signing date. 
SMS group selected NextChem because of its knowledge and expertise as a technology provider and its leadership in syngas production from natural gas. 

The proprietary CPO technology to be deployed by Nextchem enables the production of synthesis gas from natural gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons with enriched air and air-blown reactors.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem Chief Executive Officer, said: “The steel sector is today one of the more interesting, hard-to-abate industries on the road to decarbonization. This is one of the technologies from our portfolio that reduces the use of coal by substituting it with a synthetic gas derived from natural gas. This will be a crucial component of the energy transition. Such a technology will help close the gap between the renewables’ installed capacity and the growing demand from energy not derived from coal”.

Source: Maire Tecnimont

Nextchem (Maire Tecnimont Group) and Acciaierie D’Italia agree on a feasibility study to decarbonize Taranto steel plant

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.’s subsidiary NextChem and Acciaierie d’Italia, Italy’s largest steel company, jointly owned by Arcelor Mittal and Invitalia, have reached an agreement for a feasibility study to use circular gas (syngas) in the Taranto steel mill. This circular gas is obtained thanks to NextChem’s Waste-to-Chemical technology, which is based on the recovery of carbon and hydrogen included in plastic and dry waste through a partial oxidation process.  

NextChem’s technology makes it possible to obtain a circular gas that can be used both in refining processes and in the steel production cycle – replacing coal dust in the blast furnace or natural gas in direct reduction – resulting in a decrease of CO2 emissions. The feasibility study will focus on the environmental benefits of using circular gas in the steel mill, as well as of maximizing the steel mill tail gas. 

Both solutions could contribute to significantly reducing the environmental impact of the steel production cycle.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem, commented: “We are proud to collaborate with Acciaierie d’Italia in the development of a project that can offer a concrete solution for the decarbonization of the steel processing cycle and production. NextChem’s Waste-to-Chemical technology, which is worksite-ready, can make a strong contribution to the green reconversion of traditional industrial sites”.

Lucia Morselli, Chief Executive of Acciaierie d’Italia, said: “Contributing to the energy transition is exactly the responsibility of every company. NextChem’s circular gas technology is of great interest to Acciaierie d’Italia because, once verified, it goes in the direction of decarbonizing our plants”.

Source: Maire Tecnimont

NextChem awarded a contract by Total Corbion PLA to design a biopolymer plant in France

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary NextChem has been awarded a contract by Total Corbion PLAa 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion, to carry out a Front-End Engineering Design for their 100,000 tons per annum Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) plant in Grandpuits, France. 

The plant, due to be operational in 2024, will be the first of its kind in Europe. It would make Total Corbion PLA the global market leader in PLA, firmly positioned to cater for the rapidly growing demand for Luminy® PLA resins.

Maire Tecnimont Group’s heritage in polymerization of traditional plastics combined with NextChem’s portfolio of innovative solutions for green chemistry ensures the necessary know-how to manage this industrial initiative. 

Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem Chief Executive Officer, commented:  “This award is a confirmation that our Group is a trusted and valued technological and engineering partner for large-scale, innovative and complex projects. We are proud to work with a Joint Venture of our long-time client Total to increase the availability of sustainable plastics in Europe.”

Thomas Philipon, CEO of Total Corbion PLA, is pleased to launch this next stage in the process: “Signing this contract with NextChem is an important milestone as it reinforces our commitment to the global bioplastic market as the first company to launch commercial scale Lactic Acid to PLA capability in Europe.  We are proud to enable our customers to propose sizeable solutions to the market and support the circular economy development.” 

Luminy® PLA resins are biobased and made from annually renewable resources, offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many traditional plastics. At the end of its useful life, PLA products can be mechanically or chemically recycled. The biodegradable and compostable functionalities of PLA make it the material of choice for a wide range of markets and applications including fresh fruit packaging, food service ware, durable consumer goods, toys and 3D printing.

Source: www.mairetecnimont.com

Maire Tecnimont Group signs MoU to develop biopolymer plant project in the Russian Federation

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiaries NextChem and MET Development have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MC TAIF JSC (TAIF) today to co-develop a new bio-degradable polymer plant in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russian Federation), using NextChem’s know-how and MET Development’s project development capabilities. 

TAIF is the largest industrial investment company in Tatarstan, engaged in Oil and Gas, Chemistry, Petrochemistry and Energy. Under the agreement, TAIF and Maire Tecnimont Group’s subsidiaries will jointly assess and evaluate the biopolymer plant opportunity in order to establish the fundamentals of the joint development collaboration between the Parties. NextChem will be selected to provide its expertise and know-how to carry out the FEED (Front End Engineering Design) and EPC activities for the realization of the biopolymer plant. Maire Tecnimont Group will bring technological solutions and the best know-how for project development and execution, relying on its portfolio of technologies as well as its strong capabilities as an end-to-end developer of large-scale complex projects.

Source: www.mairetecnimont.com

Maire Tecnimont Group and Adani Enterprises Ltd. team up to develop green hydrogen projects in India

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that through its subsidiaries NextChem, Stamicarbon and MET Development (MET DEV) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ADANI ENTERPRISES Ltd (AEL) today to explore the development of industrial projects using NextChem and Stamicarbon’s technologies and MET DEV’s project development capabilities and expertise to industrialize green chemistry and circular economy sectors in India. The projects will be focused on producing chemicals, ammonia and hydrogen from renewable feedstock. 

Indian National Stock Exchange-listed AEL is part of the Adani Group, India’s largest player in the infrastructure and energy sectors, including 14 GW (gigawatt) of renewable assets under operation, construction and contracts. AEL is strongly committed to enabling the renewable transition via its 3.2 GW of existing and planned annual solar panel manufacturing capability and incubation of innovative environmentally friendly technologies. 

Under the agreement, AEL and Maire Tecnimont Group’s subsidiaries will jointly explore integrated opportunities for the valorization of the renewable feedstock by utilizing NextChem’s and Stamicarbon’s technologies for chemicals, ammonia and green hydrogen applied to the chemicals value chain. Maire Tecnimont Group will bring technological solutions and the best know-how for project development and execution, relying on its large and historical presence in India (over 2,200 engineers and approximately 3,000 Electrical & Instrumentation professionals in Mumbai) combined with its portfolio of technologies as well as its strong capabilities as an end-to-end developer of large-scale complex projects.  

Source: www.mairetecnimont.com