In a world where industries are compelled to redefine their approaches and establish cross-sector collaborations, the concept of circular economies emerges as a forerunner in the decarbonisation paradigm shift.
From reshaping the dynamics between biogas and carbon dioxide (CO2) to pioneering strides in low-carbon hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects and the innovative prospect of deriving medical oxygen from electrolyser networks, the circular economy is at the heart of sustainability strategies the world over.
Sponsored by Nippon Gases, this webinar aims to unravel the intricate interplay of circular economies within the tapestry of industrial gases, exploring their inherent potential and impact on the evolving landscape of sustainable practices.
Guest speakers will include Paola Amore, Carbon Neutrality Manager at Nippon Gases Industrial; Maximilian Ruhe, Managing Director at Green Line Liquid GmbH (part of the RUHE Group); and Chris Huhne, Chair of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA).
Having released its bold new carbon neutrality strategy last year, ‘We enable a carbon neutral world’, Nippon Gases’ parent group the Nippon Sanso Holdings Group (NSHD) built upon a number of sustainability related projects announced over the past two years.
To implement the strategy, the Group focuses on providing tailor-made solutions adapted to the requirements of its customers and their carbon intensity.
“To do this, we combine a global group, responsible for creating the most suitable solutions and supporting the regional organisations, who are then responsible for implementing them into our customers’ processes,” said Jose Ramon Calvo, Nippon Gases Europe, who spoke to gasworld upon release of the strategy.
“At the same time, we proactively seek out the best technology partners, whether through collaboration agreements to capitalise on synergies or through mergers and acquisitions – where we believe they bring additional value to our strategy.”
The strategy is built upon five key pillars:
- Greening combustion
- Green and low-carbon hydrogen
- CO2 capture
- Circular economy(ies)
- Digitalisation.
This focus on reducing emissions through the adoption of innovative sustainability measures and advancing the concept of circular economies is shared by the RUHE Group.
Through its ‘Green Line Technologies’ range, the Group makes it possible to produce the alternative and sustainable fuel Bio-liquefied natural gas (BioLNG) from biogas.
In line with the RED II directives set out in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, the German government set itself a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 1990 as part of the Federal Climate Protection Act.
To help with GHG balancing under RED II, RUHE Biogas helps companies transform biogas plants into biofuel production facilities using micro-liquefaction technologies which the company says produces liquid, clean fuel with zero emissions and a neutral CO2 balance.
The idea of utilising biogas as a resource has been echoed by ADBA, which aims to advance the concept of AD, encompassing the natural breakdown of organic matter (often human-produced waste) by two groups of microorganisms: bacteria and archaea.
According to the organisation, AD prevents emissions produced by these organic wastes if left untreated while also valorising the material to produce biogas — a clean, renewable energy for heat, transport and electricity — and other co-products called “bioresources”.
Huhne sees this circular process of waste-to-energy as a tool to aid in the fight against climate change, which he has called ‘the greatest threat to our common future.’
‘We have a very short period of time to tackle the problem before it becomes irreversible and out of control. A lot of progress has been made, but we must now go further, faster and turn targets into real change,” he said in a speech as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
To find out more about where these overlaps and opportunities in a circular economy approach exist, and what the industrial gas and equipment business needs to do next to capture those opportunities, join gasworld and sponsor Nippon Gases for the Circular Economies webinar this Friday, 17th November. Register here.
