![Steam cracker II, the largest individual plant at BASF's Ludwigshafen site, covers a surface area of about 64,000 square meters, which is about the size of 13 soccer fields. The steam cracker is also the heart of BASF's Verbund production strategy. This giant plant has been operating since 1981 and uses steam to crack naphtha at about 850°C [1,562°F]. This process leads primarily to ethylene and propylene, both indispensable feedstocks for manufacturing numerous products in Ludwigshafen.](/api/imaging/focalarea/4x3/480x/dam/jcr%3A101201e0-00bc-3b3a-9122-1bad27e84425/1.4.jpg "Steam cracker II, the largest individual plant at BASF's Ludwigshafen site, covers a surface area of about 64,000 square meters, which is about the size of 13 soccer fields. The steam cracker is also the heart of BASF's Verbund production strategy. This giant plant has been operating since 1981 and uses steam to crack naphtha at about 850°C [1,562°F]. This process leads primarily to ethylene and propylene, both indispensable feedstocks for manufacturing numerous products in Ludwigshafen.")
Gas Treatment
HiPACT® high-pressure regenerative CO2 capture technology
In partnership with JGC, BASF has developed a unique high-pressure gas treatment technology for high-pressure regeneration to allow for energy-efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) applications, which is marketed under the HiPACT® brand.
INPEX’s Kashiwazaki Hydrogen Park
INPEX’s Kashiwazaki Hydrogen Park in Japan will begin operations, supplying natural gas from Niigata to Tokyo and 7 prefectures. This project will produce about 700 tons of blue hydrogen and subsequently blue ammonia from natural gas, with estimated CO2 generation of approximately 5,500 tons a year. The CO2 is captured and injected into depleted gas reservoirs to reduce emissions, using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology.
The high-pressure regenerative CO2 capture technology HiPACT®, co-developed by BASF and JGC, is used for CO2 separation and capture, making injection more efficient. By releasing the CO2 off gas above atmospheric pressure, HiPACT® is expected to reduce CO2 capture and compression costs by up to 35% compared with conventional technologies, thanks to its high-temperature durability and CO2 absorption performance. As CO2 can be stored underground in an energy-saving manner, maximum benefits are expected for CCS.
This is Japan’s 1st demonstration project to produce blue hydrogen/ammonia from domestically produced natural gas and is funded by the Japanese governmental organization New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
OASE® is a registered trademark of BASF SE.
HiPACT® is a registered trademark of JGC Corporation.