A joint venture, CO2 Betriebs-GmbH & Co. KG, is investing €5 million in a new carbon dioxide production plant at Industriepark Höchst. The plant, scheduled to come online this fall, will recycle waste carbon dioxide generated by Celanese Chemicals Europe GmbH. The facility will recycle up to 3.4 tons of carbon dioxide per hour, or roughly 28,000 tons a year, and achieve purities as high as 99.999 volume percent. The project highlights the benefits of large industrial estates for implementing innovative projects that deliver significant environmental benefits.
Joint venture invests €5 million in Industriepark Höchst
This March, the partners of CO2 Betriebs-GmbH & Co. KG came together to break ground for a new carbon dioxide production plant at Industriepark Höchst.
Established in October 2012, the joint venture is 50 percent owned by Westfalen AG, a mid-sized enterprise from Münster that specializes in gases, energy and filling stations. The remaining ownership stakes are held by basi Schöberl GmbH & Co. KG of Rastatt, Sauerstoffwerk Friedrich Guttroff GmbH of Wertheim and Rießner-Gase GmbH & Co. KG of Lichtenfels.
The facility recycles waste product The partners are investing a total of €5 million in the plant, which is scheduled to come online this fall. The new facility is being erected on a 1,300 m² lot in Zone E 4 on the northern Main River side of the park. The facility is a prime example of the site’s integrated philosophy: It will recycle carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by Celanese Chemicals Europe GmbH as a byproduct of vinyl acetate production.
The environmental benefits are enormous: “By integrating our facility with the new carbon dioxide plant, we can greatly reduce our CO2 emissions and enable this waste product to be transformed into a valuable commodity,” said Rita Bürger from Celanese GmbH. The new plant recycles up to 3.4 tons of carbon dioxide per hour, or roughly 28,000 tons a year. Carbon dioxide has countless uses: In water treatment, as a shielding gas in welding, and in the food industry as a sparkling beverage additive or a protective atmosphere for packages. The new facility achieves purities as high as 99.999 volume percent and thus meets the requirements of Coca-Cola and the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT). A sophisticated on-site analyzer can immediately test gas quality at any time.
For Infraserv Höchst Managing Director Roland Mohr, the project reaffirms the benefits of Industriepark
Höchst: “Innovative projects that deliver significant environmental benefits are best implemented at large industrial estates where efficient resource management is part of the day-to-day business,” said Mohr.