Nouryon reduces emissions by increasing its bio-steam supply

Nouryon

NOURYON plans to reduce its CO₂ emissions at its salt production site at Hengelo in the Netherlands by increasing its use of bio-steam produced by waste processing company Twence.

Nouryon, formerly AkzoNobel Speciality Chemicals, uses steam to remove the water from brine to produce high-purity salt. Previously, the steam was generated from natural gas, but since 2011 Twence has been supplying Nouryon with steam from its waste-to-energy plant via a pipeline. Due to the biocontent of this waste, half of the steam was deemed to be sustainable. Twence recently started up a new biomass facility which produces fully sustainable steam from waste wood. With the additional supply of bio-steam, Nouryon will be able to save up to 80m m³/y of natural gas and it will reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 50,000 t/y.

“Salt is an essential raw material for customers in markets ranging from pharmaceuticals to construction and cars,” said Knut Schwalenberg, Managing Director Industrial Chemicals at Nouryon. “As salt production requires a lot of heat, we continue to focus on improving our energy efficiency and sustainable use of energy.”