AkzoNobel and partners are investigating how to produce chemicals from waste.
AkzoNobel is part of a major Dutch partnership working with Canada's Enerkem to explore the use of waste streams as a feedstock for chemical production and the development of waste-to-chemicals facilities. The collaboration features a number of industry and semi-governmental partners looking to benefit from Enerkem's proprietary technology that converts waste into synthesis gas - a common starting material for products such as methanol and ammonia.The initial partners are AkzoNobel, Enerkem, the investment and development agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM), Groningen Seaports, Rotterdam Partners and InnovationQuarter. The partners plan to test various local waste streams, including residual municipal and agricultural waste. The advantage of Enerkem's conversion process is that it is complementary to existing technologies, such as recycling and anaerobic digestion, according to the company.
The goal is to create a group of partners that all make a unique contribution, according to AkzoNobel: waste management companies to provide the waste feedstock and processing capacity, financial parties to arrange funding, end-use chemical companies to handle production and customer sales and government to facilitate regional investment. Akzo says other interested parties are also welcome to join the collaboration.
Within the next two to three years, the partners aim to have a plant in Delfzijl or Rotterdam and become the first in Europe to utilize the new technology.
For more information, visit: www.akzonobel.com
