Saudi Arabia exports 40 tons of blue ammonia to Japan …...

Aramco and the Japan Energy Economics Institute (IEEJ), in partnership with SABIC, announced the successful production and export of the first shipment of blue ammonia from Saudi Arabia to Japan with the support of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), where 40 tons of high-quality blue ammonia were exported to Japan for use in Carbon Free Power Generation.

The announcement comes amid growing expectations for the role hydrogen will play in the global energy system. Ammonia, a compound consisting of 3 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of nitrogen, can contribute to meeting the challenges of rising global energy demand in a reliable, sustainable and affordable way.

The Saudi-Japanese blue ammonia supply network stretches across the entire value chain and includes converting hydrocarbons into hydrogen and then into ammonia, while capturing associated CO2 emissions.

The challenges associated with shipping blue ammonia to Japan for use in power plants were addressed, as 30 tons of carbon dioxide were captured during the process designated for use in methanol production at the SABIC Ibn Sina facility and another 20 tons of captured carbon dioxide was used to improve the oil extraction process. (EOR) in the Ottoman field.

This achievement highlights one of the many pathways within the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) concept, which is a framework in which carbon dioxide emissions are reduced, removed, recycled and reused rather than released into the atmosphere.

“It is expected that the use of hydrogen in the global energy system will increase,” said Ahmed Al-Khowaiter, Aramco’s chief technical officer. This first worldwide shipment represents an important opportunity for Aramco to showcase the potential of hydrocarbons as a reliable source of low carbon hydrogen and ammonia. This achievement also highlights the successful partnership between Saudi Arabia and Japan.

He added: There is no doubt that such international partnerships are essential in achieving the circular carbon economy that the Kingdom supports during its current presidency of the G20. He added, “Aramco is working with various partners from all over the world in finding solutions by deploying advanced technologies to produce low-carbon energy to meet the global climate challenge.”

Masakazu Toyoda, Chairman and CEO of the Japan Energy Economics Institute, said, “Blue ammonia is very important to Japan’s ambitions to reduce carbon emissions in order to maintain a balance between the environment and the economy. About 10 percent of Japan’s energy can be generated by 30 million tons of energy.” Blue ammonia

He said, “We can start to release this substance co-fired in current power plants and then move on to mono burning of 100 percent blue ammonia.” There are countries like Japan that cannot necessarily benefit from carbon capture, exploitation and storage or oil recovery process due to their geological conditions, but neutral ammonia / blue carbon hydrogen gas will help overcome this obstacle. ”

In turn, Dr. Fahad Al-Shuraihi, Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Carbon Management at SABIC, said: We can economically benefit from our existing infrastructure for hydrogen and ammonia production through carbon dioxide capture. Our experience in the complete supply chain along with integrated petrochemical facilities will play an important role in providing blue ammonia to the world.

Ammonia contains about 18 percent of hydrogen by weight and is a chemical that is widely traded internationally. They do not release carbon dioxide emissions when burned in the thermal power plant and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the future of clean, safe and affordable energy.

SABIC and Mitsubishi, represented in the Japan Energy Economics Institute study team, are overseeing the logistics transportation process, in partnership with: JGC Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and UBE Industries.