Linde, BASF, and SABIC Win ICIS Innovation Award for Electric Cracker Furnace
The chemical industry giants, Linde, BASF, and SABIC, have been recognized for their groundbreaking innovation with the prestigious ICIS Innovation Award 2024. Their joint effort resulted in the world’s first electric cracker furnace built at demonstration scale. This revolutionary technology promises to significantly reduce CO2 emissions, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable future for the chemical industry.
The award, which was presented at the ICIS Innovation Awards 2024, recognizes the companies’ dedication to environmental responsibility and their commitment to developing cutting-edge solutions to tackle the climate crisis. The judging panel, comprised of experts from leading organizations like NNFCC, Arkema, CEFIC, Evonik, and ICIS, lauded the electric cracker furnace for its potential to revolutionize the chemical industry’s environmental footprint.
According to the companies, the new technology could reduce CO2 emissions by at least 95% compared to traditional technologies commonly used today. This remarkable achievement has positioned Linde, BASF, and SABIC as pioneers in sustainable chemical production.
Michael Reitz, technology manager for BASF, expressed the company’s pride in winning the award, acknowledging the collaborative efforts of a large team from all three companies. He highlighted the spirit of cooperation that fueled the project’s success.
Martin Hofstaetter, process engineer for furnace technology at Linde, echoed the sentiment, adding, “It’s great to get the recognition for this project and also to see how the plant is working after all these years of development.”
The ICIS Innovation Awards celebrate excellence in innovation across the chemical industry. This year, the judging panel was particularly impressed by the strides being made towards tackling the climate emergency. The electric cracker furnace, developed by Linde, BASF, and SABIC, exemplifies this commitment to a greener future and highlights the industry’s potential to drive sustainable change.
About ICIS
ICIS, an independent commodity intelligence service, provides vital data and analytics to businesses across the chemical and energy markets. Their reputation as a trusted source and benchmark for price information and insight across key commodity markets worldwide is well-established. ICIS’s independent, transparent market intelligence empowers thousands of businesses to make informed decisions every day, optimizing negotiations and fostering innovative thinking. With a global team of over 600 experts, ICIS operates across multiple locations including London, New York, Houston, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Perth. ICIS is part of RELX, a global leader in information and analytics for professional and business customers.
About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across various industries. Serving customers in over 180 countries, RELX maintains a presence in approximately 40 countries and employs nearly 30,000 individuals, with almost half of them based in North America. RELX PLC, a London-listed holding company, owns 52.9% of RELX Group, while RELX NV, an Amsterdam-listed holding company, owns the remaining 47.1%. The company’s shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam, and New York Stock Exchanges under the ticker symbols REL, REN, and RELX/RENX respectively. With a total market capitalization of approximately £68bn | €82bn | $88bn, RELX is a prominent player in the global information and analytics market.
