Clariant AG (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com), a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, today announced that a deoxygenation catalyst from its EnviCat Green series was selected for a major green ammonia project in China. The catalyst will be used to remove trace oxygen from green hydrogen produced at the facility, before conversion into green ammonia. Carbon-free production of ammonia greatly reduces the environmental impact of this valuable base chemical needed for vital applications, such as fertilizer production. Green ammonia is also expected to play a key role in the world’s energy transition, offering versatile applications in transportation, power, and hydrogen supply.
Clariant’s EnviCat Green catalyst demonstrates an excellent gas hourly space velocity (GHSV), a ratio of the gas rate per unit of catalyst, facilitating efficient deoxygenation processes. Thus, the process requires a considerably smaller reactor for oxygen removal, which not only saves equipment costs, but also offers high flexibility regarding transportation and installation. As a result, producers benefit from significant CAPEX and OPEX savings.
Xaver Karsunke, Vice President of Clariant Specialty Catalysts, commented, “The success of a global transition toward sustainable energy relies greatly on the collaboration of leading industry specialists. With our extensive experience in hydrogen purification technologies, and our innovative EnviCat Green series, we are proud to contribute to this project and others that support net-zero solutions like green ammonia.”
As decarbonization momentum builds globally, demand has accelerated for emission-reducing technologies across sectors. Clariant’s EnviCat Green series deoxygenation catalyst provides critical support by reducing contaminant levels, enabling the production of high-purity hydrogen, which is essential for next-generation energy. Besides high GHSV and related cost benefits, EnviCat Green also offers great efficiency in removing oxygen impurities down to 5 ppmv or even 0.1 ppmv, if required. Thanks to its outstanding activity and mechanical strength, the catalyst enables effective oxygen removal over a long lifetime. The EnviCat series has been in commercial operation for over 20 years, with more than 1,000 installations in various purification applications.