Exxon Mobil Corp. has launched two new chemical production units at its manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas, entering a new chemical market with production of linear alpha olefins.
The $2 billion expansion is part of ExxonMobil’s long-term growth plans to deliver higher-value products from its US Gulf Coast chemical and refining facilities, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.
ExxonMobil’s new linear alpha olefins unit will produce 350,000 tonnes per year of Elevexx brand products, marking ExxonMobil’s entry into the market. Linear alpha olefins are used in plastic packaging, high-performance motor and industrial oils, and other applications, as well as building blocks for surfactants, which lower surface tension for cleaning and industrial uses, and agents drag reducers, which allow the crude oil to flow. through pipes more efficiently, he noted.
“With the commissioning of these two new lines, ExxonMobil is delivering high-value materials for a variety of products that society depends on every day,” said Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil Product Solutions. “We have achieved outstanding safety performance by leveraging our expertise to plan and execute major projects, while providing significant investment to the US Gulf Coast.”
ExxonMobil said its new performance polymer line will produce 400,000 metric tons per year of Vistamaxx and Exact brand polymer modifiers, which can improve the performance of a wide range of chemicals used to make auto parts, construction materials, hygiene and personal care products. and various packaging applications. Vistamaxx can increase the durability of consumer products such as reusable packaging to extend their shelf life while allowing for more recycled content, while Exact can help meet the automotive industry’s growing demand for thinner and lighter parts that improve fuel efficiency, according to the release.
ExxonMobil’s Baytown facility is one of the largest integrated and most technologically advanced petrochemical and refining complexes in the world, according to ExxonMobil. Founded in 1919, ExxonMobil’s Baytown area operations are located on about 3,400 acres along the Houston Ship Channel, about 25 miles east of Houston. They include a refinery, a chemical plant, an olefins plant, a plastics plant and a global technology center.
UK licensing award for potential CCS projects
Meanwhile, ExxonMobil’s Low Carbon Solutions business was awarded four licenses to test potential locations to store carbon dioxide emissions captured under the UK North Sea by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) , the company said in a separate press release.
ExxonMobil said it is partnering with Shell on three of the licenses and Neptune Energy on the fourth. The licenses are located on the east coast of England. If the assessments are successful, ExxonMobil will apply for permission to develop the carbon storage projects, which would support the UK’s ambition to store more than 50 million metric tonnes of carbon by 2050.
According to the NSTA, the areas included in the licensing round, a mix of depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers, cover about 4,630 square miles (12,000 square kilometers) and could store up to 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. carbon per year. 2030, which equates to around 10 per cent of UK emissions in 2021.
“These awards will allow us to leverage our unique CCS [carbon capture and storage]subsurface and project management expertise to help the UK achieve its net zero ambitions,” said Michael Foley, ExxonMobil’s Low Carbon Solutions Business Lead.
ExxonMobil noted that it is investing $17 billion in lower emissions initiatives from 2022 to 2027, including its efforts to expand CCS to help reduce emissions in its operations and for third parties.
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