Renewables Consulting

Challenge:Chemical Consulting provided process economic cost analysis for a US company active in the production of bio-based acrylic acid.

Solution: Our analysis compared the cost of production for bio-based acrylic acid to the conventional production route.

Results: This analysis enabled the customer to benchmark their process against competing process routes.

Challenge: Chemical Consulting provided process economic cost analysis for a US company active in producing biodiesel.

Solution: We completed cost evaluations of producing biodiesel via fermentation to make fatty alcohols from sugars as well as deoxyhydroisomerization to make biodiesel. These routes were compared to making biodiesel via algae fermentation as well as the conventional production route.

Results: This analysis enabled the customer to understand its competitive position in this market segment against other bio-based production processes as well as conventional routes.

Challenge: Chemicals Consulting provided a strategic R&D planning study for a major European oil and gas producer. The customer was interested in understanding technology and market developments in specific renewably based market segments. These segments included: photovoltaics, biofuels, alternate fuels and carbon sequestration.

Solution: We conducted a strategic workshop with the customer to exchange views on the technologies.

Results: As a result, we were able to outline a technology roadmap for the customer's expansion into potentially attractive new markets.

Challenge: An investment firm was considering investment in an entity that produced citral from terpentine oil. The firm wanted to understand the competitive position of this process versus alternative routes for making citral as well as the market outlook for this industry.

Solution: Chemical attended the due diligence, visited the manufacturing facility and generated an opinion of the target's manufacturing capabilities. We then used our extensive chemical database to assess the market outlook for the citral industry. We also conducted primary research with producers in China as this was considered to be a major competitive region. Our process economics team developed cost-of-production economics for producing citral via terpentine oil as well as via isobutylene.

Results: The client made a well-informed bid for the target and completed the transaction.

Challenge: A major chloropicrin producer and industry leader in supplying essential crop protection products was seeking to understand the cumulative carbon footprint "from the well to the plant gate" for producing chloropicrin.

Solution: We developed a list of assumptions regarding the supply chain from the natural gas liquids facility to the chloropicrin produced at the client's facility. Based on our understanding of the process technology in producing chloropicrin, as well as the carbon footprint tool we developed for making this type of analysis, we were able to estimate the cumulative carbon footprint in tons of CO₂ equivalent per ton of chloropicrin, FOB to the client's site, from the well to the plant gate.

Results: Our analysis delivered the carbon footprint needed to support the client's funding initiative.

Challenge: A client wanted to explore novel ways to make butadiene using bio-based routes and approached Chemical Consulting for support.

Solution: S&P Global Consulting completed a detailed process engineering design review for producing 1,3 butadiene via a bio-based route. We also compared production economics for producing 1,3 butadiene via a bio-based route compared to conventional petrochemical routes.

Results: The resulting information enabled the client to understand the competitive landscape for this alternative process and informed the company's strategic plan.