Irving-based EPC corporation, Fluor, has been awarded the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for California Resources Corporation's (CRC) carbon capture project.

A little background:

CRC owns Elk Hills Field, the largest natural gas field in California. Back in 1999, CRC formed a joint venture with a portfolio company called Elk Hills Power. Elk Hills Power operates a 550-megawatt (MW) natural gas combined-cycle power plant that supplies its operations and sells the excess to the grid.

So how will Fluor be helping?

The US Department of Energy and OGCI Climate Investments has invested in Elk Hills Power, enabling them to pay Fluor to design the carbon capture project. They hope to integrate their power plant with this carbon capture plant so that they can either sequester the CO2 underground or enhance oil recovery by injection. (check out their infographic).

Read the press release here.

German specialty chemicals company, Evonik, has announced the opening of a new technology center for 3D printing in Austin, Texas. The site will develop new materials to be manufactured by their novel Structured Polymers technology.

Zooming out:

The 3D printing industry is expected to grow an average of 24% annually through 2024. Back in 2019, Evonik acquired Austin-based startup Structured Polymers Inc. Structured Polymers' technology produces polymer powders that are then unified by selective laser sintering (SLS). What makes their technology unique is its ability to produce the powders from a wide range of polymers. Evonik is already the leading manufacturer of polyamide (PA) 12 powders, so the acquisition means they can expand into other materials.

It's all connected, please read:

PA 12 is made from the precursor laurolactam, laurolactam is made from cyclododecatriene (CDT), CDT is made by cyclotrimerization of butadiene, 95% of the world's butadiene comes from the steam cracking of ethane, and that ethane comes out of oil & gas reserves.

Read the press release here.

Global petrochemical giant, LyondellBasell has announced that their Spheripol polypropylene (PP) manufacturing technology has been selected for a new plant in Quanzhou, China. A subsidiary of Taiwan's Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corporation (GPPC) will operate the new 450,000 metric ton per year facility.

Some context:

LyondellBasell is the world's largest licensor of PP technology. Initially introduced in 1982, the Spheripol process technology now accounts for roughly 35% of the world's PP capacity. You can read more about the technology and it's history here.

Why license instead of making it yourself?

By licensing their technology LyondellBasell earns royalties, ensures that they can sell their catalyst, and introduces more of the very own Spheripol PP that they produce to the market. Increasing Spheripol's market share can benefit LyondellBasell because it means more customers downstream are already accustomed to using it. Hypothetically, that would make it easier for LyondellBasell to sell their PP.

Read the press release here.