Carbon-free ethylene production

Coolbrook and Linde Engineering have partnered to revolutionize the petrochemical industry by achieving carbon-free ethylene production. The strategic collaboration will leverage Coolbrook’s RotoDynamic Reactor (RDR) technology to replace fossil fuels with clean electricity in ethylene plants worldwide, reducing global CO2 emissions by approximately 200 million tons annually.

Steam cracking, a process used in ethylene plants, is one of the most energy-intensive and CO2-emitting industrial processes globally. Coolbrook’s RDR technology improves energy efficiency and targets to increase ethylene yield compared to traditional cracker technologies. The aim is to establish the RDR technology as an industry standard by 2030.

Linde Engineering, with over 70 years of experience in petrochemical technologies, has licensed and/or built more than 70 steam crackers worldwide. They have developed a roadmap and toolbox of decarbonization measures to support the transformation of the petrochemical industry towards zero GHG emissions.

Coolbrook’s RotoDynamic Reactor is based on the company’s proprietary RotoDynamic technology, designed to generate process heating for high-temperature processes with CO2-free electricity, marking a major milestone towards carbon-free manufacturing in heavy industries. The technology is currently undergoing a large-scale pilot phase in the Netherlands and is expected to be deployed in first commercial demonstration projects at customer sites in 2024, with full commercial deployment expected to start around 2025.

The partnership between Coolbrook and Linde Engineering is a significant step towards achieving carbon-free ethylene production, improving energy efficiency and increasing ethylene yield compared to traditional cracker technologies, while reducing global CO2 emissions.