BASF, SABIC and Linde join forces to reduce CO2 emissions by developing the world’s first electrically heated steam cracker furnace. The three companies are planning together to use renewable electricity instead of the fossil fuel gas for heating purpose and thus contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the chemical industry. They are evaluating the construction of a multi-megawatt demonstration plant at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site in Germany, and to commence operations in 2023.
BASF and SABIC are contributing their combined knowhow and intellectual property in developing chemical processes and operating steam crackers. Linde is contributing its intellectual property and expertise in developing cracker furnace technologies.
Cracking furnaces are one of the largest CO2 emission sources in the whole petrochemical value chain. They require a lot of energy to break down hydrocarbons into olefins and aromatics. Typically, the reaction is conducted in the furnaces at about 850oC, which requires burning fossil fuel. Currently, these temperatures are attained by burning fossil fuels and the new project aims to use electricity from renewable sources, which could potentially reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 90%.