AMI commissions nitrous oxide scrubber in Linz, Austria

04 November 2003 16:09  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--Agrolinz Melamine International (AMI) on Tuesday officially commissioned a new facility for the elimination of nitrous oxide (N2O) from waste gas produced at its nitric acid plants in Linz, Austria.

 

A spokesman for German engineering contractor Uhde told CNI that construction of the plant began earlier this year after contract award by AMI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Austrian oil group OMV, in July 2002. He declined to give the cost of plant.

 

AMI's Linz plant uses a special catalyst to cut N2O emissions by 1600 tonne/year, which is equivalent to about 500 000 tonne/year of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (C02), said Uhde in a statement. The firm added that the investment would help Austria state meet their obligations under the Kyoto climate change protocol, accounting for 40% of Austria's emissions reduction target for the industrial sector.

 

The N2O elimination process used at the plant is the first commercial use of the technology by Uhde. As well as eliminating N2O emissions, the same reactor reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides, which means a separate reactor for the purpose is not required.

 

Wolfgang Essig, chairman of Uhde, said: "A sufficiently high waste gas temperature at the nitric acid plant outlet is the only technical prerequisite for the application of the new process technology. Uhde will offer the new process and the necessary hardware to those nitric acid producers whose nitric acid plants meet the requirements for this application."

By: Will Beacham
+44 208 652 3214

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