Messer said the facility, which will use BASF’s OASE blue technology, is due to start up in early 2024, recovering CO₂ from the flue gas of an undisclosed industrial company. In future, the Bad Soden-based gases producer said it wants to use its recovery and purification processes to make the gas available for reuse.

Under the plans, Messer will refine the recovered CO₂ up to food grade quality and use it to increase supply reliability in western Austria, South Tyrol, eastern Switzerland and Bavaria, where it already supplies multiple customers.

Up to now, the food industry has had to rely on CO₂ obtained as a byproduct from ammonia production. With its new technology, Messer said it expects to be able to offer shorter routes to supply customers with liquid CO₂ by tank truck.

Chief Technology Officer Tarek El Hawary said Messer’s expertise in plant and equipment construction in combination with BASF’s OASE blue technology will enable the gases producer to build and operate energy efficient, economical production facilities that recycle CO₂.

Andreas Northemann, who heads BASF’s global gas treatment activities, commented that the Ludwigshafen chemical giant’s technology will provides Messer with a reliable CO₂ removal process with low energy demand that enables the use of more sustainable technologies to reduce CO₂ emissions and environmental impact.

BASF’s OASE blue, which was developed initially as an optimized large-scale carbon capture technology, is claimed to offer a customized technology package as well as highly stable, low-maintenance innovative solvent solutions for various carbon capture applications.

The chemical group’s solution is used to capture flue gas carbon from sources such fossil power generation plants, steam reformers, waste incinerators and the cement industry.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist