Clariant catalyst reduces 690,000 tonnes of CO2e per year at Hengli China plant

Clariant, a leader in sustainable specialty chemicals, announced that its EnviCat™ N2O-S catalyst has been successfully installed at Hengli Petrochemical’s nitric acid plant in Dalian, China. Through its global climate campaign, Clariant provides free N2O removal catalysts to selected nitric acid producers that do not employ emission reduction technologies. One of the beneficiaries is Hengli Petrochemical, whose nitric acid plant has an annual capacity of 300,000 metric tons.

Installed in June 2024, the EnviCat™ N2O-S catalyst is expected to reduce Hengli’s N2O emissions by 690,000 tonnes of CO2e per year. Nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas that is almost 300 times more potent than CO2, is a byproduct of nitric acid production, a key ingredient in fertilizer manufacturing. Global nitric acid production emits more than 100 million tonnes of CO2e per year, as more than half of producers lack N2O removal systems.

Clariant’s EnviCat™ N2O catalyst solves this problem, removing up to 99% N2O in tertiary abatement and 95% N2O in secondary abatement. Designed as a seamless drop-in solution, the catalyst can be installed without interrupting operations and has been successfully implemented for over two decades in more than 50 plants worldwide.

Xaver Karsunke, Vice President of Clariant’s Specialty Catalysts business, highlighted the impact of the collaboration, saying, “We are honored to support Hengli Petrochemical in its efforts to achieve sustainable chemical production. Collaborations like this are critical to accelerate China’s energy transition and achieve its ambitious decarbonization goals.”

Hengli Petrochemical’s Plant Manager, Aibo Zhu, is proud of the collaboration and highlights their commitment to sustainable practices: “As one of the world’s largest chemical companies, we are committed to environmentally responsible operations. The collaboration with Clariant has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions at our nitric acid plant.”