LanzaTech Global Inc. and Technip Energies have been chosen to receive up to $200 million in funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for a project that aims to transform CO2 into sustainable ethylene. This funding is part of the DOE’s Industrial Demonstrations Program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, as announced in a news release on March 25.
The two companies are collaborating on a CO2-to-ethylene technology that captures up to 95% of the flue gas from ethylene cracker furnaces and combines it with hydrogen. LanzaTech’s biorecycling technology will then convert recycled waste carbon into ethanol, which will be further converted into ethylene using Technip Energies’ Hummingbird technology.
Technip Energies’ CEO, Arnaud Pieton, stated that the goal of this project is to test and develop this technology at scale in a real plant, which can be replicated in other facilities worldwide. This innovative process is expected to help decarbonize ethylene, an essential component for various chemicals and materials such as plastics, polyester, and PVC pipes.
If awarded, the funding will support the design, engineering, construction, and equipment for a commercial-scale integrated technology unit in the US. LanzaTech highlighted the significant replication potential of this integrated solution for ethylene crackers worldwide, with over 40% of them currently utilizing Technip Energies’ technology, including eight in the US.
