Clariant, a specialty chemical company focused on sustainability, has announced that its EnviCat N2O-S nitrous oxide abatement catalyst is performing successfully at Sichuan Lutianhua's nitric acid plant in China. The catalyst is expected to reduce annual emissions by 275 kilotons of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq). Sichuan Lutianhua, a winner of Clariant's 2021-2022 global Climate Campaign, was provided with the catalyst free of charge as part of an initiative to support nitric acid producers lacking N2O abatement technology.

The Sichuan Lutianhua plant, located in Sichuan Province, began operating in 2009 and initially did not have an N2O removal system in place. With no abatement technology, the plant emitted significant amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas that is nearly 300 times more potent than CO2 in terms of its impact on climate change. Clariant’s EnviCat N2O-S catalyst offers a solution to this issue by removing up to 99% of N2O emissions in nitric acid production, significantly reducing the plant’s carbon footprint.

Xaver Karsunke, Vice President of Clariant Specialty Catalysts, expressed pride in collaborating with Sichuan Lutianhua to reduce its emissions, aligning with China’s decarbonization goals. He highlighted that Clariant’s innovative catalyst technology supports companies like Sichuan Lutianhua in cutting emissions in hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Sun Guang, Assistant General Manager at Sichuan Lutianhua, emphasized that the partnership with Clariant was an important step toward achieving the company’s sustainability goals. He noted that the installation of the EnviCat N2O-S catalyst had already led to a significant reduction in N2O emissions from the plant’s nitric acid production.

Sichuan Lutianhua, founded in 1959 and based in Luzhou City, is a major chemical producer in China, specializing in ammonia, urea, methanol, and dimethyl ether. The company is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and has a strong focus on technological innovation and research and development. Nitric acid, which is critical for fertilizer production, is typically associated with significant N2O emissions, with more than half of nitric acid producers globally lacking systems to remove these emissions. Worldwide, nitric acid production is responsible for approximately 100 million tons of CO2e emissions annually.

The EnviCat N2O catalyst series provides an effective and easy-to-install solution for mitigating these emissions. The catalysts can be integrated into existing nitric acid plants without disrupting production processes, and they have been successfully installed in over 50 plants worldwide over the past 20 years. Clariant’s Climate Campaign, which ran from November 2021 to March 2022, aimed to offer nitric acid producers an affordable path to reduce their emissions, with several winners receiving a complimentary load of the EnviCat N2O-S catalyst.