Braskem Goes Greener in Brazil

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Brazil continues to be one of the leading countries in Latin America across various sectors and is even considered the country in the region with the best Global Innovation Index. This leadership extends to environmental matters as well, evident in its commitment to sustainable development and its renewed 2030 Agenda presented to the United Nations in July 2024. This program highlights the commitment to addressing climate emergencies, preserving biomes, ensuring a just energy transition, and promoting sustainability over the next six years. The Chemical Processing Industry is not exempt from this goal, and Braskem (São Paulo, Brazil), a leader in the sector, is both a key player and a frontrunner, as it continues to implement initiatives aimed at achieving these goals by not only shifting toward renewable energy, but also making investments that lead to significant changes.

One of the most notable projects in this regard is Braskem's initiative at its petrochemical plant located in Santo André, São Paulo. The company is working on the electrification of the steam cracker furnaces, which play a central role in the production of basic chemicals and require large amounts of energy to convert hydrocarbons into olefins (ethylene) and aromatics. In this process, the steam crackers generate hundreds of millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this impact, the company aims to electrify the cracking furnaces primarily because it avoids carbon emissions. Following the lead of other major petrochemical companies that have already implemented these changes, Braskem, together with Lummus Technology (Houston, Texas), is working on the electrification of the Lummus SRT-eTM cracking furnaces at the Santo André plant, targeting a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Additionally, Braskem, in collaboration with Veolia, has secured an investment of around R$400 million (US$72.6 million) in Marechal Deodoro, Alagoas, to produce renewable energy from eucalyptus biomass steam. Approximately 900,000 tons of steam are being generated and have started to be utilized since late 2023 when the steam plant began operations.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).