Alliance targets direct coal liquefaction
20 Jan 2010
Paris/South Jordan, Utah – Headwaters Inc. and Axens are to form a strategic alliance targetting the production of ultra-clean fuels by direct coal liquefaction (DCL) alone or in combination with refinery residues or biomass.
Paris-based Axens is a supplier of technologies, catalysts and adsorbents for the conversion of oil, coal, natural gas and biomass to clean fuels, as well as production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates. Headwaters of Utah provides products, technologies and services to the energy, construction and home improvement industries, and includes building products, energy, and coal combustion products businesses.
The two companies will to combine their technologies and licensing activities for coal-to-liquids (CTL) projects worldwide. The new “Alliance DCL”, expects to provide a single-source solution for producing ultra-clean transportation fuels from coal - whether alone or in combination with other low-cost or renewable feedstocks, such as biomass and refinery residues.
Headwaters brings its slurry catalyst technology and its extensive CTL research facilities. Axens will contribute its ebullated-bed H-Coal Process and proprietary catalyst. Both evolved from a common background and DCL technologies developed by Hydrocarbon Research Inc. (HRI), which were commercialized with support from the US Department of Energy and industrial clients.
Claiming decades of experience in DCL and a database on a wide range of coals, both companies say they have continued to increase
liquid yields, improve energy efficiency, lower production costs and reduce the environmental footprint (CO2 emissions and water consumption).
Alliance DCL will market the technologies and anticipates offering project-specific services, from feedstock characterization, pilot plant evaluation, feasibility studies and engineering design through plant start-up and ongoing technical support. Axens will also provide the coal liquids upgrading technologies necessary to achieve finished fuel specifications.
Both companies provided technology packages and basic engineering contributing to the successful construction and start-up of the first commercial direct coal
liquefaction plant in China in December 2008. Several new DCL projects are currently in development by the alliance.
