Celanese Begins Carbon Capture and Utilization Operations at Clear Lake, TX Facility

Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials and chemical company, recently announced it has begun running a carbon capture and utilization (CCU) project at its Clear Lake, Texas, site as part of its Fairway Methanol joint venture with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The project is expected to capture 180,000 metric tons of CO₂ industrial emissions and produce 130,000 metric tons of low-carbon methanol per year.

Celanese is actively leveraging CCU to offer low-carbon options across its Acetyl Chain and Engineered Materials products to help global customers meet the growing demand for more sustainable and circular solutions. The products will be launched under the ECO-CC name and be transparently supported through mass balance tracking and life cycle assessment processes.  

“With this project, our Celanese value chain can convert CO₂ waste into products for a wide array of end-markets, including consumer goods like adhesives, packaging, toys, paints, coatings and more.” said Mark Murray, senior vice president, Acetyls at Celanese. “Our globally-integrated value chain positions us to provide a wide range of solutions with carbon capture content across both our integrated Acetyl Chain as well as other methanol derived products like acetal copolymers (POM).”

CCU takes CO₂ industrial emissions that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere from both Celanese and third-party sources and applies reduced-carbon-intensity hydrogen to chemically convert the captured CO₂ into a methanol building block used for downstream production. This low-carbon input is then used to reduce traditional fossil fuel-based raw materials and can help produce a wide range of end products across most major industries. Third-party sources account for 80% of the captured CO₂ waste.

Unlike the more commonly referenced carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), where captured CO₂ emissions are injected into and stored in the ground, CCU fosters circularity by using CO₂ emissions to create products that can reduce the need for fossil fuels.
 
To learn more about CCU technology at Celanese, visit https://www.celanese.com/en/sustainability-offerings.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE) is a global chemical leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese's global chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 13,000 employees worldwide and had 2022 net sales of $9.7 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, www.celanese.com.

About Mitsui

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (8031: JP) is a global trading and investment company with a presence in more than 60 countries and a diverse business portfolio covering a wide range of industries. Mitsui identifies, develops, and grows its businesses in partnership with a global network of trusted partners including world leading companies, combining its geographic and cross-industry strengths to create long-term sustainable value for its stakeholders. Mitsui has set three key strategic initiatives for its current Medium-term Management Plan: supporting industries to grow and evolve with stable supplies of resources and materials, and providing infrastructure; promoting a global transition to low-carbon and renewable energy; and empowering people to lead healthy lives through the delivery of quality healthcare and access to good nutrition. Visit www.mitsui.com for more information.

About Fairway Methanol LLC

The Clear Lake methanol unit was commissioned in October 2015 as a joint venture between Celanese and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The unit utilizes abundant, low-cost natural gas in the U.S. Gulf Coast region as a feedstock. The joint venture operates as Fairway Methanol LLC, with both Celanese and Mitsui maintaining a 50/50 ownership.