Circular Steam Project
As part of our CO2 emission reduction strategy, LyondellBasell, along with our joint venture partner Covestro, is investing in a major project at our shared site in Maasvlakte, the Netherlands.
The project is expected to reduce 140,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, save 0.9 petajoule of energy each year and reduce wastewater disposal, preventing 11 million kilograms of salt residue from entering surface water.
The Maasvlakte plant produces propylene oxide and styrene monomer, and wastewater is currently incinerated at a third-party location. Rather than incinerating it, the Circular Steam Project will use innovative technology to treat this water stream and convert it into energy at our Maasvlakte site.
The new process will generate steam from the plant’s waste and convert it into energy for use in the on-site production processes. The water will be divided into two streams. The first stream will be biologically treated, generating biogas and allowing us to discharge the clean water in the Rotterdam estuary. The biogas generated will be reused in our site operations, thus avoiding the use of additional fuels being burned. The second waste stream, containing waste fuels and caustic waters, will enter a dry incineration process that will separate the salts and generate steam for use in the on-site production processes.
The project is scheduled to start up in the first quarter of 2021.
