Swiss-based Clariant, Prattein, and Casale SA, Lugano, have launched a new ammonia catalyst – AmoMax-Casale, for sustainable CO2 reduction. The new product arose from Clariant’s catalyst experience and Casale’s ammonia converter design. The parties said AmoMax-Casale delivers up to a 30 percent higher efficiency factor, significantly lowering the energy consumption of an ammonia plant and leading to a major reduction in CO2 emissions.
Specifically, they said the catalyst’s higher activity allows operation of the ammonia synthesis loop with considerably less pressure. This means the plant consumes less energy to produce ammonia, and hence generates fewer CO2 emissions.
In addition, higher catalyst activity means higher conversion, so the plant will consume less energy for the recirculation of the process gas in the reactor loop. Again, less CO2is emitted.
The companies said a typical ammonia plant producing 1600 tons/day would save potentially US$300,000 annually on energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85,000 tons over the catalyst’s average lifetime of 15 years. Furthermore, AmoMax-Casale is capable of increasing the ammonia production capacity by up to 5 percent.
The companies said the catalyst has already proven itself at an ammonia plant in the Americas. The plant was upgraded to a Casale 3-bed interchanger using the AmoMax-Casale catalyst in late 2019 and is already reporting energy savings of 40,000 kcal/mt, which translates to an expected annual reduction of $300,000 in costs, and 4,900 tons in CO2emissions.