SABIC, SD & Linde enter strategic collaboration to explore opportunities for decarbonization in chemical industry

Riyadh, December 13, 2023 - SABIC, a global leader in the chemicals industry, Scientific Design (SD), an affiliate company licensing leader in Ethylene Glycol Technology and Linde Engineering, a subsidiary of Linde, a leading global industrial gases and engineering company, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore collaboration opportunities to decarbonize the SD Ethylene Glycol Process. This collaboration seeks to develop innovative solutions to reduce carbon footprint and achieve low-carbon emissions technology by offering SABIC's innovative CO₂ recovery and purification technology to SD licensed manufacturing glycol plants worldwide. The ultimate goal is to establish sustainable Ethylene Oxide and Ethylene Glycol production and set industry benchmarks for carbon-neutral industries.

Bob Maughon, Executive Vice President, Technology & Innovation, CTO & CSO at SABIC emphasized the company's commitment to carbon neutrality, stating: “At SABIC we have outlined a clear pathway toward carbon neutrality that necessitates the advancement of innovative technologies on a large scale, both within our existing asset base and in our future growth. Through embracing innovation and fostering collaboration, we are developing new technologies and processes to drive our journey toward carbon neutrality. Our carbon capture strategy and this new opportunity to collaborate with Linde Engineering, demonstrates the importance of leveraging our technological expertise to transform waste products into valuable resources demonstrating the Circular Carbon Economy framework.”

John van der Velden, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Technology, Linde Engineering, stated: “I’m proud that SABIC and Linde Engineering will work together to decarbonize this major petrochemical building block. We have an established and long-standing history of collaboration between our two companies, which builds on the complementary strength and expertise of our organizations. By combining SABIC’s SD gas processing technology with Linde’s expertise in capturing and liquefying CO₂, plus our strong track record in designing, executing and operating plants, we hope to find solutions that support a carbon neutral petrochemical industry.”

Atieh Abu Raqabah, SD CEO: “We are excited to embark on this groundbreaking journey with SABIC & Linde Engineering, integrating SABIC’s CO₂ Capture & Purification technology into our EO/EG production processes. It will enable us to capture and purify CO₂ emissions generated during our EO/EG production processes, thereby mitigating the environmental impact. This strategic collaboration aligns with our steadfast commitment to sustainability and also positions SABIC Scientific Design as a leader in offering Zero Carbon Ready EO/ EG Technology.”

The collaboration will leverage SABIC's proprietary CO₂ technology which has already demonstrated its effectiveness in the world's largest carbon capture and utilization (CCU) plant at SABIC affiliate, United. This technology has the capacity to recover and purify up to 500,000 metric tons (MT) of CO₂ per year, which would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere during ethylene glycol production. The captured CO₂ can be converted into valuable products such as urea, a vital agri-nutrient that enhances agricultural yields, methanol, a versatile building block for various chemicals, and liquefied CO₂, widely used in the food and beverage industry.

In 2021, SABIC announced its carbon neutrality commitment; 20% reduction by 2030 Interim Scope 1&2 emissions target compared to 2018 and carbon neutral by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement goals. The company's carbon neutrality roadmap comprises five critical pathways; energy efficiency, renewable energy, electrification, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and green/blue hydrogen.

This strategic collaboration between SABIC, Scientific Design, and Linde Engineering represents a significant step toward transforming the chemical industry and accelerating the transition to a sustainable and carbon-neutral future.

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