Safety is a key priority for the chemical industry. The Green Deal ambitions (e.g. carbon neutrality by 2050) result in a transformation of the chemical industry that will generate new safety challenges. In particular, changing infrastructure in process manufacturing industries and changes in operating regimes and environmental efforts can adversely affect equipment integrity and reliability. During the seminar, quite some recent technology developments are discussed especially with an open eye on safety aspects along the complete supply and value chain.
The 35th European AIChE Seminar is an effective platform for interacting and sharing insights with industry leaders and professionals.
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Chemical Recycling via Plastics Pyrolysis; Technical and Legal Hurdles on the Road Ahead - Henk Hagen, DOW and Philip de Smedt, Cefic
Chemical recycling is considered a key technology for the chemical industry to achieve the EU plastics recycling targets. Chemical recycling can be carried out via a few routes with currently the most important one being gasification and pyrolysis. Pyrolysis has the advantage that a liquid is produced that in essence can be applied as feedstock in existing liquid hydrocarbon steam crackers. Unfortunately, the quality of Plastics Pyrolysis Oil (PPO) is such that direct use is limited. In order to unlock the full potential of PPO as a circular feedstock the material needs to be subjected to a clean-up step via hydroprocessing. Hydroprocessing of PPO comes with various challenges that will need to be addressed before it can be applied at commercial scale.
This lecture focusses on the quality aspects of PPOs that circumvent the direct use, as well as the challenges that arise when trying to clean them. Despite all the efforts on the implementation of chemical recycling, the recognition of chemical recycling in EU legislation, e.g. End of Waste Directive, is still unclear. Next to the specifics on the technical aspects of chemical recycling via pyrolysis, some insights are given on the efforts by Cefic, the European association for the chemical industry, to defend the position of chemical recycling.
Presentation file here
Presentation file here
Safety Hazard Assessment of Biogas Cleaning and Upgrading Process: a Case Study - Julia Di Domenico Pinto, FLUOR
This presentation discusses a case study where a safety hazard analysis is performed on a biogas production process. Switching the energy matrix to renewable/carbon-free sources is a path many countries are pursuing. In this context, biogas stands out as a relevant renewable circular process as it can generate a renewable fuel from waste streams. The study was done together with Diego Di Domenico Pinto (Process Engineer Director in Hovyu). It is not uncommon that hazardous materials are formed, processed, or stored during the biogas production. In the past years, several accidents in the biogas process production were reported, resulting in human deaths, environmental pollution, and relevant economic losses. In many cases the causes of the accidents are still unknown. In several cases there is an absence of sufficient knowledge about the biogas process hazards and how to find them. Besides, it is hard to find a consistent accident database related to biogas production processes. The cleaning and upgrading biogas process are based in chemical absorption technology and involves several hazardous materials, including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is a colorless poisonous, corrosive, and flammable gas. Findings and recommendations are presented.
Presentation file here
Carbon Capture - why, who, what & how - Michiel Baerends, FLUOR
The presentation covers the key topics in Carbon Capture
- Why should clients be interested in capturing carbon?
- Who is already practicing carbon capture, and where?
- Where is all the captured CO2 going to go?
- What technical options are available, how does the process work?
- How much is it all going to cost – and how to lower this cost?
- What to do next?
An attempt is made to provide answers, at least partial, to all the above questions, enlightening all those in the audience that are not already deeply involved in carbon capture.
Presentation file here
Role of Hydrogen in the Energy Transition, some Challenges related to Development of the H2 Value Chain - Taco Hoencamp MSc, Royal HaskoningDHV
This presentation addresses the role of hydrogen in the energy transition, different colors of hydrogen production methods, some challenges related to development of the hydrogen value chain, and safety aspects related to the use of hydrogen.
Presentation file here
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