Orion upgrade to “sharply reduce” emissions at US carbon black plant

Houston, Texas – A recent investment in power generation technology at Orion Engineered Carbons' carbon black plant in Borger, Texas is expected to “sharply reduce air emissions”.

The $60-million project included the deployment of a new control technology as well as upgrading the site’s cogeneration system, according to a 24 Jan statement from Orion.

The emissions control technology, it said, eliminates 23 tonnes of nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions per day – a total of 90% reduction in those emissions.

The new power generation system uses heat created by the carbon black production process and converts it to electricity that can be used by the plant, Orion explained.

“Investing in emissions control technology and generating more clean energy are key to our commitment to sustainability,” Orion CEO Corning Painter commented.

The project, noted Painter, was completed on scheduled, despite challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic and supply-chain disruptions.

Orion has also recently upgraded emissions-control technology at the group's facilities in Ivanhoe, Louisiana and Orange, Texas.

Later this year, the carbon black maker plans to finish a further emissions-reduction project in the US, at its other site in Belpre, Ohio.

On completion of the Belpre project, there will be "significantly more free cash flow to invest in growth projects,” said Painter, adding that 2023 would begin “a new era” for Orion.