For the first time, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) is funding a project to test climate-friendly alternatives to the use of fossil fuels in the chemical industry. With the help of funding totaling around 14.8 million euros, construction of the world's first demonstration plant for electrically heated steam cracker furnaces has now begun in Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate). Together with two partners, the chemical company BASF SE wants to use the technology developed to eliminate one of the biggestCO2 emitters. This is part of the "Decarbonization in Industry" funding programme. The program is being supervised by the Competence Center for Climate Protection in Energy-Intensive Industries (KEI) based in Cottbus (Brandenburg), which led this innovative research project to the successful start of implementation.
Dr. Bernd Wenzel (2nd from left) at the presentation of the funding decision to BASF in Ludwigshafen as part of the "Decarbonization in Industry" programme, photo: BASF In the funded "eFurnace" project, the chemical company BASF SE will be testing various heating concepts for electrified cracking furnaces of a steam cracker over the next four years. The official go-ahead for the construction of the large-scale demonstration plant was given on September 1, 2022 at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen. By using electricity from renewable energies instead of fossil natural gas to heat the furnaces, the new technology has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from one of the most energy-intensive processes in chemical production by at least 90 percent compared to conventional methods. Commissioning of the demonstration plant integrated into an existing steam cracker is planned for 2023. Steam cracking - the steam splitting of hydrocarbons - produces important building blocks for the chemical industry in huge production plants.
The total project development costs amount to around 69 million euros. BASF SE is investing in the project together with the chemicals and metals group SABIC Global Technologies B.V., with the demonstration plant being operated solely by BASF SE. The plant manufacturer Linde GmbH is the partner for planning, procurement and construction of this project and will market the developed technologies in the future.
