Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany) recently made significant progress towards its scope 1 climate neutrality goal for its Baytown, TX site. A newly commissioned project, known as NAUCI (Nitric Acid Unit Climate Initiative), reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the site’s Nitric Acid Unit by up to 99%, which accounts for a 60% reduction in the site’s overall scope 1 emissions.
“Covestro is committed to our ambitious goals to be operationally climate neutral by 2035,” said Thorsten Dreier, CTO of Covestro. “This project is particularly inspiring, not only due to the significant impact on our scope 1 emissions, but because it was implemented solely for the environmental benefits and in support of our sustainable future strategy.”
Covestro NAUCI project team in Baytown, TX. © Covestro LLC
Nitric acid is an important raw material for the production of MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) and TDI (toluene diisocyanate), which are key components of polyurethane and can be found in applications from mattresses and furniture to energy-efficient insulation and automobile seats, among others.
The production of nitric acid has historically been a significant source of greenhouse gases and a focus of Covestro’s decarbonization efforts for more than a decade. The recently commissioned NAUCI project alone reduces annual CO2e by roughly 195KT, and when combined with previous nitric acid unit abatement projects, cumulatively represents an annual CO2e reduction of nearly 900,000 tons.
“It’s projects such as NAUCI that help us achieve our scope 1 targets, and I am confident that our continued efforts will drive even greater success as we work towards achieving climate neutrality by 2035,” said Victor Ortega, Covestro Baytown site manager and senior vice president of Performance Materials and Operations North America. “I look forward to seeing the lasting positive impact this project has both within the site and in the Baytown community for years to come.”
The Covestro site in Baytown, TX aims to be scope 1 and scope 2 climate neutral by 2035.