BASF will operate the demo plant, for which Linde carried out engineering, procurement and construction.

The demonstration plant aims to show that continuous olefin production is possible using electricity as a heat source. By using electricity from renewable sources, the new technology has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions of one of the most energy-intensive production processes in the chemical industry by at least 90% compared to technologies commonly used today.

The facility, which produces olefins, such as ethylene, propylene, and possibly also higher olefins from saturated hydrocarbon feedstock, is fully integrated into the existing steam crackers in Ludwigshafen, the companies said in a joint statement.

According to the partner companies, the upcoming operation serves the goal of gathering data and experiences about material behavior and processes under commercial operating conditions for the final development of this innovative technology to industrial market maturity. In two separate demonstration furnaces, two different heating concepts will be tested. While in one furnace, direct heating applies an electric current directly to the cracking coils, in the second furnace, indirect heating uses radiative heat of heating elements placed around the coils.

The two electrically heated furnaces together process around 4 t/h of hydrocarbon feedstock and consume 6 MW of renewable energy.

The development of the novel furnace technology was supported with €14.8 million by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action under its “Decarbonization in Industry” funding program.

“With the development of electrically operated steam cracking furnaces, we are getting our hands on a key technology that will help to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the chemical industry,” said Martin Brudermüller, chairman of the board of executive directors of BASF.

Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, CEO of SABIC, added: “The e-furnace’s technology holds huge potential for the sustainability of the global petrochemical industry. It can demonstrate the role that renewable electricity can play in higher efficiency and low-emission chemical processing.”

“It is our common goal to demonstrate that it is possible to electrify the petrochemical industry and to operate a steam cracker with sustainably generated electricity,” said Jürgen Nowicki, CEO of Linde Engineering.