Forty years of BASF gas treatment
The success story of gas treatment at BASF started 40 years ago. In 1971, the chemical company began removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from syngas for the production of ammonia, a crucial starting material for the manufacturing of fertilizers.
- (1888PressRelease) October 12, 2011 - One by one, the company developed also technologies for natural gas, refinery off-gas, flue gas and biogas. At the same time, BASF continually expanded its portfolio. Today, the company has a comprehensive offering in the fields of technology, gas treating chemicals and additional technical support services including on-site training of customer’s staff, as an example; all of which can be customized and combined to suit the customer’s specific needs.
With more than 300 reference plants, BASF is today one of the world leaders in the gas treating business. Recently, it started marketing its combined gas treating technology, chemical and technical service offerings under the new Oase® brand. “Our customers around the globe appreciate our role as their partner for gas treating applications and opt for our package offering,” said Andreas Northemann, head of Global Gas Treatment Solutions within BASF’s Intermediates division. “Our new Oase brand will enable us to establish the system approach we pursue for our gas treatment portfolio more clearly than before. The Oase brand is an umbrella covering the comprehensive package that unites our clear customer focus, technology experience and innovative capability.”
Out of Ludwigshafen – around the globe
Building on many years of experience, scientists at BASF had invented a process using an activated amine as a gas treating agent. Currently, this process remains unmatched as a worldwide benchmark because it is much more efficient than the CO2 capturing methods previously used. It also results in plant engineering cost savings because the equipment can be made of less expensive materials.
In 1971, BASF paved the way for the global success of the process by utilizing it in it’s own ammonia and syngas facility at the Ludwigshafen, Germany, site – where it is used to this day. While the field of applications for BASF’s gas treating technology continued to expand in subsequent years, its purpose did not change: it serves to remove gases of undesirable components like CO2 and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
In the early nineteen-eighties, BASF expanded its offering to include the sweetening of natural gas to meet pipeline specifications. BASF launched into another demanding natural gas technology in 1997: Liquefied natural gas, which is shipped to consumers by sea over long distances. All of the CO2 contained in the gas must first be removed to prevent problems in liquefaction. The company uses its extensive expertise in gas treatment to tackle new challenges. During 2009, the first test of a new BASF technology was successfully demonstrated allowing CO2 to be captured extremely efficiently from the flue gases of coal-fired power stations. In the biogas business, BASF has developed a new CO2 removal process that simplifies the gas treating process and distinctly outlines the plant design .The first plant using this technology started operations in 2011. BASF has also developed an innovative process for treating natural gas on ships specially designed for this purpose.
Efficient, reliable and flexible: the process
BASF’s gas treating solvents react with the acid components like CO2 and H2S from incoming gases in an acid-base reaction. The acid components are then separated from the solution by adding energy, allowing the gas treating solvents to be recycled. The CO2 obtained in this way is of such high purity, that it can be used for chemical purposes.
The BASF process requires relatively low energy input, featuring very high availability, and delivers high yields of high-purity gases. It is flexible enough to allow specific gas components to be separated selectively. For example, the process facilitates the selective removal of H2S from a gas that contains both CO2 and H2S. The gas treating solvents that are used feature high stability and a long useful life, requiring minimal replenishment as a result.
For additional information please take a look at the Oase internet website including the movie “Welcome to Oase” (Duration time 8:30 minutes, available in English language only): www.basf.com/oase
About BASF Intermediates
The BASF Group’s Intermediates division develops, produces and markets a comprehensive portfolio of more than 600 intermediates around the world. The most important of the division’s product groups include amines, diols, polyalcohols, acids and specialties. Among other applications, intermediates are used as starting materials for coatings, plastics, pharmaceuticals, textile fibers, detergents and crop protectants. Innovative intermediates from BASF help to improve the properties of final products and the efficiency of production processes. The ISO 9001:2000-certified Intermediates division operates plants at production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Around the globe, 2,630 employees of the division generated sales to third parties of about €2.5 billion in 2010. For more information, go to www.basf.de/intermediates .
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, and agricultural products to oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €63.9 billion in 2010 and had approximately 109,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com or in the Social Media Newsroom at newsroom.basf.com .
Oase® is a registered trademark of BASF SE.
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