Asahi Kasei to produce acrylonitrile using biomass-derived raw material

Production of AN using biomass propylene is scheduled to begin in February 2022.

AN is used as a raw material to make ABS resin, acrylamide, acrylic fibre, and various other chemical products. Recent demand growth has been particularly robust in the applications of carbon fibre as a material to reduce the weight of wind turbine blades, etc., and nitrile rubber for medical gloves.

Propylene is one of the most important chemical intermediates in organic chemistry. It is generated during the thermal cracking of hydrocarbons and can be produced also by bioethanol from the biomass fermentation processes.

ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is an international certification system that offers solutions for the implementation and certification of waste and residue raw materials, non-bio renewables and recycled carbon materials and fuels. ISCC PLUS is a certification system that covers mainly bio-based carbon materials which are produced outside of the EU and supplied globally, and to manage and ensure sustainable raw materials in the supply chain.

In order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, measures to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the product chain of fossil fuel-derivatives are gaining momentum, and AN customers are increasingly seeking to manufacture products using AN with low CO2 emissions in order to contribute to GHG reduction.

Under these circumstances, Asahi Kasei and TSPC sought to reduce CO2 emissions across the AN supply chain. In October 2021, TSPC became the first AN manufacturer in Asia to acquire ISCC PLUS certification.

The certification system enables TSPC to produce and sell AN using biomass raw material allocated by the mass-balance method.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/25012022/asahi-kasei-to-produce-acrylonitrile-using-biomass-derived-raw-material/