US chemical maker Dow has outlined a plan to cut the carbon footprint of its site in Terneuzen, in the Netherlands, by 40% in 2030. The first phase of the project will include constructing a new clean fuel facility to process by-products from core production processes into hydrogen and CO2. Dow will use hydrogen in the site’s production process. It will also store the resulting CO2 until it finds a way to use it in its processes. The facility is expected to start up in 2026 and reduce the site’s CO2 emissions by 1.4 million tons/year.
The second phase will include building a facility to capture CO2 emissions from the site’s existing ethylene oxide (EO) plant. Dow will also install electrical motor drives to replace some gas turbines. According to the company’s estimates, the second phase would cut the site’s emissions by a further 300,000 tons/year.
The third phase will include electrifying the site’s ethylene steam-cracking furnaces in collaboration with Royal Dutch Shell. Dow also plans to incorporate additional clean technologies to replace carbon-emitting fuels used in the production processes. The project is part of Dow’s broader program to become a carbon-neutral company by 2050.
