Zeeland Refinery lets contract for decarbonization project

Dutch refiner Zeeland Refinery NV, a joint venture of TotalEnergies SE and PJSC Lukoil, has let a contract to a division of Air Liquide SA to deliver carbon capture and liquefaction technology for a new plant to be built as part of a decarbonization project at the operator’s 148,000-b/d refinery in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.

As part of the contract, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction (E&C) will license its proprietary Cryocap Flue Gas (FG) technology for a Cryocap FG plant that, once in operation, will capture more than 90% of emissions on the Vlissingen refinery’s existing hydrogen production units and have capacity to liquefy 2,400 tonnes/day of carbon dioxide (CO₂), Air Liquide said.

Alongside technology licensing, Air Liquide E&C also will deliver the process design package and technical services for the proposed plant.

Proved in an existing unit now entering its sixth year of operation at Air Liquide’s site in Port-Jérôme, France, the new solvent-free Cryocap FG technology will enable the plant’s capture and liquefaction of CO₂ contained in concentrated flue gases via a combination of adsorption and cryogenics technologies. Based on electricity rather than thermal energy, the Cryocap FG plant will allow Zeeland Refinery to further reduce its environmental footprint by providing flexibility to use a renewable-based energy source to power operation, according to the service provider.

Pure, liquefied CO₂ captured as part of the decarbonization project—which aims to reduce total CO₂ emissions from the Vlissingen site by more than 800,000 tonnes/year—will be transported for storage in the Dutch North Sea, Air Liquide said.

Application of carbon capture and storage to reduce CO₂ emissions at Vlissingen comes as part of Zeeland Refinery’s broader, long-term carbon-reduction and sustainability initiatives at the site, according to the operator’s website.

“By integrating [the Cryocap FG plant] into the existing refinery scheme, Zeeland Refinery will strengthen its position in the low-carbon future that lies ahead of us,” said Nathalie De Muynck, the refinery’s general manager.

Additional details regarding the proposed project have yet to be confirmed by Zeeland Refinery.

Read more about how European and US refiners are accelerate energy transition initiatives.