A newsletter about the hard to decarbonize sectors en https://industrydecarbonization.com https://industrydecarbonization.com/news/denmarks-ccs-strategy-deliver-or-pay.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/denmarks-ccs-strategy-deliver-or-pay.htmlWed, 11 Mar 2026 12:16:38 +0100In recent years, Denmark pushed CCS technology and ran multiple tenders handing out substantial subsidies. But they came with a catch: either deliver on time or risk hefty penalties. What can be learned from the experiences in Denmark?Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/some-of-the-cleanest-polyamide-and-nylon-precursor-factories-are-shutting-down.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/some-of-the-cleanest-polyamide-and-nylon-precursor-factories-are-shutting-down.htmlThu, 12 Feb 2026 13:16:04 +0100The production of a chemical called Caprolactam results in significant N₂O emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Most EU producers largely avoid these emissions. Some have made investments in drastic emission reduction in recent years. But many of these low-emitting factories are now shutting down.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/errors-and-inconsistencies-in-european-emission-data.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/errors-and-inconsistencies-in-european-emission-data.htmlTue, 30 Dec 2025 19:17:49 +0100Factories that suddenly have emissions a thousand times lower than before, unexplained data gaps, and inconsistent CO₂ emissions from different data sources are some of the issues one finds when having a closer look at the European Union's emission databases.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/super-emitter-of-the-most-damaging-greenhouse-gas-found-in-germany.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/super-emitter-of-the-most-damaging-greenhouse-gas-found-in-germany.htmlFri, 12 Dec 2025 12:20:58 +0100Through atmospheric measurements, scientists have identified a chemical factory operated by Solvay in Southern Germany as the source of massive amounts of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆) emissions. Being 25,000 times as bad as CO₂, SF₆ is the most potent known greenhouse gas.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-is-it-needlessly-difficult-to-access-unfccc-emission-data.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-is-it-needlessly-difficult-to-access-unfccc-emission-data.htmlThu, 27 Nov 2025 14:42:49 +0100Due to international climate agreements, countries report annual data about their greenhouse gas emissions to the UNFCCC. However, downloading and using that data is a lot more difficult than it should be.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-enerkems-waste-gasification-technology-a-failure-or-a-promising-climate-solution.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-enerkems-waste-gasification-technology-a-failure-or-a-promising-climate-solution.htmlThu, 06 Nov 2025 10:23:28 +0100Repsol wants to build a waste gasification plant to make circular and biogenic Methanol in Spain. The Ecoplanta project will use a technology that previously failed to deliver on its promises in Canada.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/this-hydrogen-has-no-color.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/this-hydrogen-has-no-color.htmlWed, 15 Oct 2025 14:38:07 +0200Peregrine Hydrogen has an unusual idea for making clean Hydrogen, one that it says fits into existing industrial processes. One of the world's largest Phosphate mining companies is interested.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/you-want-ccs-but-cheaper-and-less-controversial-try-biomethane.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/you-want-ccs-but-cheaper-and-less-controversial-try-biomethane.htmlTue, 30 Sep 2025 15:37:44 +0200Carbon capture technology is often associated with ideas of capturing CO₂ from power plants or industrial facilities like cement plants. Biomethane upgraders provide CO₂ that is easy to capture and less controversial than most other potential sources for CCS and also CCU. Yet, they are rarely part of the discussion.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/uncertain-future-for-arcelormittals-smart-carbon-projects-in-belgium.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/uncertain-future-for-arcelormittals-smart-carbon-projects-in-belgium.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2025 12:25:11 +0200Steel giant ArcelorMittal has been reluctant to invest into Hydrogen-based steelmaking. But its alternatives it calls Smart Carbon are not doing great either. Its flagship Steelanol project in Belgium could be shut down soon, and the closely related Torero project faces technical challenges.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/just-stop-burning-trash.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/just-stop-burning-trash.htmlThu, 26 Jun 2025 17:51:58 +0200Waste-to-energy plants are a massive source of carbon dioxide emissions. Yet, it is not obvious what the best solution for high-emitting incinerators would be. Should incinerators be equiped with carbon capture? How much can recycling rates be improved, and what role should chemical recycling play? And could landfills be a carbon storage solution?Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/whats-up-with-the-production-of-e-fuels-in-chile.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/whats-up-with-the-production-of-e-fuels-in-chile.htmlThu, 05 Jun 2025 09:54:14 +0200In 2022, Siemens Energy, Porsche, and HIF inaugurated a pilot plant for the production of E-Methanol and E-Gasoline in southern Chile. The Haru Oni plant was intended to be just the beginning — with plans for large-scale production just a few years later. However, it does not look like that will ever happen.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/icelands-e-fuels-controversy.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/icelands-e-fuels-controversy.htmlFri, 09 May 2025 12:53:42 +0200Hydrogen and E-Fuels companies want to utilize Iceland's abundant renewable energy sources. But Iceland's largest energy company Landsvirkjun does not want to sell electricity to them. E-Fuels producers hope that European authorities will intervene, the EFTA Surveillane Authority investigates.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-power-a-short-distance-ferry-with-liquefied-hydrogen.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-power-a-short-distance-ferry-with-liquefied-hydrogen.htmlThu, 24 Apr 2025 20:22:29 +0200The passenger ferry MF Hydra in Norway is the world's first ship running on Liquefied Hydrogen (LH₂). The Hydrogen fuel is delivered by truck from Germany - and nobody wants to say where it comes from.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/shipping-carbon-emissions-from-switzerland-to-iceland.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/shipping-carbon-emissions-from-switzerland-to-iceland.htmlFri, 04 Apr 2025 10:15:59 +0200Is it feasible to transport carbon dioxide over long distances for geological storage? Researchers from Switzerland think so — and have already started shipping CO₂ to Iceland in a pilot project.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-the-owners-of-a-shipping-company-are-investing-in-fossil-free-plastics.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-the-owners-of-a-shipping-company-are-investing-in-fossil-free-plastics.htmlWed, 19 Mar 2025 11:15:09 +0100A. P. Møller Holding, the largest shareholder of Maersk, has launched a green plastics startup called Vioneo. It wants to build a Methanol-to-Olefins plant in Belgium - the first such factory in Europe.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-canceled-swedish-e-methanol-factory-may-rise-from-the-ashes.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-canceled-swedish-e-methanol-factory-may-rise-from-the-ashes.htmlFri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:15 +0100Last year, wind energy company Ørsted stopped plans for the green shipping fuel and E-Methanol plant FlagshipONE in Sweden. Yet, in an unexpected twist, Liquid Wind, the company that initially developed FlagshipONE, wants to build an even larger E-Methanol factory at the same location.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-problem-with-turquoise-hydrogen-made-from-fossil-gas.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-problem-with-turquoise-hydrogen-made-from-fossil-gas.htmlFri, 20 Dec 2024 14:30:01 +0100A process to split methane into its components, hydrogen and carbon, is advertised as a way to make hydrogen from fossil gas without emissions. Yet, claims that methane pyrolysis is free of CO₂ emissions or more efficient than water electrolysis are highly misleading.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/reducing-glass-industry-emissions-with-sodium-hydroxide.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/reducing-glass-industry-emissions-with-sodium-hydroxide.htmlMon, 25 Nov 2024 16:13:30 +0100Glass production generates process emissions that cannot be avoided by switching to renewable energy. A circular carbon process to make soda ash, an essential raw material for glass production, could help tackle those emissions, but it comes with some caveats.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-swedens-green-steel-transformation-still-on-track.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-swedens-green-steel-transformation-still-on-track.htmlFri, 01 Nov 2024 15:20:42 +0100The Swedish state mining company LKAB is delaying some of its more ambitious plans for a green steel transformation. However, other green steel projects in the Nordic country are proceeding.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/from-coal-enabler-to-the-minimal-green-methanol-economy.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/from-coal-enabler-to-the-minimal-green-methanol-economy.htmlTue, 24 Sep 2024 21:47:27 +0200While it does not get as much attention as hydrogen, green methanol could play a crucial role in a climate-neutral industry. Ideas for a Methanol Economy have been around for decades, but the implementation challenges should not be underestimated.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-no-one-wanted-to-buy-the-green-shipping-fuel.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/why-no-one-wanted-to-buy-the-green-shipping-fuel.htmlThu, 22 Aug 2024 22:52:03 +0200Many shipping companies see e-methanol - made from hydrogen and carbon dioxide - as the most promising future clean fuel. But it appears they do not want to buy it: energy company Ørsted canceled plans for an e-methanol production facility due to a lack of offtake agreements. A weakened EU regulation has likely contributed to the difficulty of selling green shipping fuels.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/misleading-logarithmic-scales-and-the-disregard-for-energy-efficiency.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/misleading-logarithmic-scales-and-the-disregard-for-energy-efficiency.htmlWed, 17 Jul 2024 13:15:08 +0200A chart linking low energy consumption with poverty is widely shared on social media. The graphic uses a misleading visualization, and if we look at the data more objectively, it tells a very different story - one that highlights the potential of energy efficiency.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-there-a-place-for-e-methane-in-a-climate-neutral-future.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-there-a-place-for-e-methane-in-a-climate-neutral-future.htmlWed, 03 Jul 2024 14:43:51 +0200Methane made from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide can directly replace fossil gas. The company TES wants to produce such e-methane, but critics say: that only works due to stacked subsidies and could delay important transformation steps.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-carbon-capture-and-storage-more-expensive-than-we-thought.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/is-carbon-capture-and-storage-more-expensive-than-we-thought.htmlThu, 06 Jun 2024 11:50:07 +0200A controversy about the Hammerfest LNG plant on the Norwegian island Melkøya raises questions about the affordability of post-combustion carbon capture and storage. Equinor wants to electrify its operations - and said CCS would be too expensive.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/carbon-removal-with-demolished-concrete.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/carbon-removal-with-demolished-concrete.htmlTue, 30 Apr 2024 11:25:05 +0200At a recycling facility on the outskirts of Berlin, carbon emissions from biomethane production are stored in construction waste. The Swiss company Neustark hopes that its technology will play a part in a future carbon removal industry.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/basf-starts-the-worlds-first-electric-cracker-furnace.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/basf-starts-the-worlds-first-electric-cracker-furnace.htmlFri, 19 Apr 2024 13:08:57 +0200Electrifying steam cracking can reduce emissions in the chemical industry, but it does not change the use of fossil input materials. It is only a first step towards climate-neutral chemicals.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/what-we-do-not-know-about-planet-warming-hydrogen-emissions.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/what-we-do-not-know-about-planet-warming-hydrogen-emissions.htmlWed, 27 Mar 2024 11:14:31 +0100In the atmosphere, hydrogen acts as an indirect greenhouse gas. Recent studies show that its warming potential is higher than previously thought, causing concerns about a much wider use of hydrogen in the future. Yet, very little is known about hydrogen leakage rates.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/e-fuels-and-e-chemicals-may-need-multiple-times-the-worlds-current-electricity-production.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/e-fuels-and-e-chemicals-may-need-multiple-times-the-worlds-current-electricity-production.htmlThu, 29 Feb 2024 14:49:08 +0100Technologies turning water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich chemicals could replace fossil fuels where electrification is not feasible. However, Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) would require enormous amounts of clean electricity.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/unburning-co2-the-problem-with-fossil-carbon-capture-and-utilization.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/unburning-co2-the-problem-with-fossil-carbon-capture-and-utilization.htmlFri, 09 Feb 2024 10:40:14 +0100Technologies that turn carbon dioxide into fuels or chemical resources can play a role in a climate-neutral future. But they come with challenges and usually only delay emissions. This can lead to overestimating their potential.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-trouble-with-european-green-electricity-certificates.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-trouble-with-european-green-electricity-certificates.htmlFri, 15 Dec 2023 09:17:45 +0100Electricity companies from Iceland and Norway sell green electricity certificates (Guarantees of Origin) while their customers advertise using the same renewable energy. After a temporary ban on certificate exports from Iceland, the responsible Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) has permanently lifted that ban and does not plan any further action.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/insecure-password-allowed-administrative-access-to-electric-vehicle-chargers.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/insecure-password-allowed-administrative-access-to-electric-vehicle-chargers.htmlMon, 04 Dec 2023 11:12:28 +0100Electric vehicle chargers of the brand Hypercharger were shipped with an insecure default password and allowed access to a configuration interface to anyone over the Internet. The vendor reacted quickly, but incidents like this show potential IT security risks of electrification infrastructure.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/should-we-burn-methanol-when-the-wind-does-not-blow.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/should-we-burn-methanol-when-the-wind-does-not-blow.htmlThu, 09 Nov 2023 06:54:26 +0100Electricity grids with high shares of wind and solar energy will require energy storage over long periods of time. A new study suggests that green methanol might be more attractive than hydrogen in some cases.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/making-glass-without-fossil-gas.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/making-glass-without-fossil-gas.htmlFri, 20 Oct 2023 13:21:33 +0200Today, glass production uses primarily fossil fuels and comes with substantial carbon emissions. Electrification could change that, but it probably cannot be scaled enough to power large production facilities completely. And even a glass industry powered by renewable energy would have remaining CO₂ emissions.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-avoidable-super-greenhouse-gas-from-fertilizer-nylon-and-vitamin-b3-production.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-avoidable-super-greenhouse-gas-from-fertilizer-nylon-and-vitamin-b3-production.htmlThu, 28 Sep 2023 09:27:44 +0200The production of some nitrogen-based chemicals can cause substantial nitrous oxide emissions (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas. Technology to stop these emissions is cheap and readily available, but it is not always applied.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/how-to-make-plastics-without-fossil-fuels.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/how-to-make-plastics-without-fossil-fuels.htmlWed, 30 Aug 2023 14:56:58 +0200Decarbonizing plastics and other petrochemical processes requires more than clean energy; it requires different input materials. A technology used in China's coal-based chemical industry could be an interesting building block for the future of plastics.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/eu-innovation-fund-oxyfuel-ccs-e-methanol-and-more.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/eu-innovation-fund-oxyfuel-ccs-e-methanol-and-more.htmlThu, 20 Jul 2023 11:55:07 +0200The EU Innovation Fund is one of the most important funding instruments for large-scale and industrial decarbonization projects. We look at the latest funding round: Multiple oxyfuel CCS projects for cement production, lots of e-methanol – and not much electrification.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/can-ccs-escape-from-its-fossil-fuel-industry-roots.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/can-ccs-escape-from-its-fossil-fuel-industry-roots.htmlTue, 04 Jul 2023 11:20:53 +0200Carbon capture and storage could help stop carbon dioxide emissions that are otherwise hard to avoid. But the technology is surrounded by controversies and is closely tied to the fossil fuel industry.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/cements-future-could-be-a-combination-of-carbon-capture-and-electrification.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/cements-future-could-be-a-combination-of-carbon-capture-and-electrification.htmlThu, 15 Jun 2023 13:27:18 +0200Cement is an industry where capturing carbon emissions may be necessary. A combination with process heat electrification could be better than CCS alone.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/double-counting-and-other-problems-with-green-electricity-certificates.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/double-counting-and-other-problems-with-green-electricity-certificates.htmlMon, 05 Jun 2023 15:19:41 +0200Double counting of green energy had recently led to a suspension of renewable electricity certificates from Iceland. Now they can be exported again – even though the problems are not solved. But that is not the only problem with renewable electricity certificates.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/hotter-heat-pumps-could-help-electrify-industrial-heat.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/hotter-heat-pumps-could-help-electrify-industrial-heat.htmlWed, 24 May 2023 13:49:28 +0200Most energy in industry is used to provide heat. The most efficient way to decarbonize heat is to use heat pumps powered by green electricity. Which leads to the question: What temperatures can they achieve?Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/how-iceland-sold-the-same-green-electricity-twice.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/how-iceland-sold-the-same-green-electricity-twice.htmlThu, 11 May 2023 12:25:41 +0200European renewable energy certificate led to double counting of the same electricity from Iceland. Certificate exports have now been suspended. But the problem is not restricted to Iceland.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/hype-and-e-fuels-the-haru-oni-pilot-plant.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/hype-and-e-fuels-the-haru-oni-pilot-plant.htmlMon, 24 Apr 2023 15:30:35 +0200Making fuel just from wind, water, and air – that's the promise of the Haru Oni project in Chile. But claims by the companies operating the plant contain a lot of hype.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/making-steel-with-electricity.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/making-steel-with-electricity.htmlFri, 24 Mar 2023 09:33:28 +0100The Siderwin research project tested a new method of steelmaking that uses direct electrolysis of iron oxide in a pilot plant in France. The steelmaker ArcelorMittal now announced that it wants to commercialize the technology.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/do-ammonia-crackers-make-sense.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/do-ammonia-crackers-make-sense.htmlThu, 23 Feb 2023 17:07:19 +0100Several companies have announced plans to build ammonia crackers to use ammonia as a hydrogen carrier. However, do they make sense as long as existing ammonia facilities run on fossil-based hydrogen?Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/gas-stoves-and-gas-grids.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/gas-stoves-and-gas-grids.htmlTue, 24 Jan 2023 18:20:11 +0100Cooking with gas represents only a tiny fraction of overall gas use. Some say it does not matter much for the climate, but is that true?Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-future-dominance-of-solar-and-wind-energy.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-future-dominance-of-solar-and-wind-energy.htmlTue, 10 Jan 2023 17:01:28 +0100There is surprisingly strong agreement in future energy scenarios about the dominance of solar and wind energy.Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/hydrogen-heating-and-the-future-of-the-gas-grid.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/hydrogen-heating-and-the-future-of-the-gas-grid.htmlTue, 20 Dec 2022 19:32:22 +0100Most experts don't see a future for hydrogen boilers in buildings, but industry groups lobby for them. This raises an important question: What future is there for gas grids?Hanno Böckhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-path-to-green-steel-could-be-hydrogen.htmlhttps://industrydecarbonization.com/news/the-path-to-green-steel-could-be-hydrogen.htmlFri, 30 Sep 2022 12:01:47 +0200Several steelmakers are investing in technologies that could clean up one of the biggest contributors to climate change.Hanno Böck