The automobile industry has seen increasingly stringent regulations to mitigate emissions from the use of gasoline in internal combustion engines, with limits to sulfur content and minimum required research octane numbers. Alkylates adheres to these regulations since it is a low-sulfur content, high-octane component for gasoline. Alkylates are primarily produced using liquid acid catalysts that pose environmental, health and safety risks. Alternative acid catalysts such as ionic liquid and solid acid have been commercialized or are under development to reduce these risks. This report discusses alternative acid alkylation technologies and compares the process economics with conventional liquid acid alkylation technologies.

Polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG) is a key ingredient in the production of a variety of elastomeric urethane products and is a major component of spandex fibers. Minor applications are as the soft block in co-polyester and co-polyamide elastomers, and in a number of very small miscellaneous applications. PTMEG has few uses, even in small volumes, in applications where it is not a monomeric input to a polymeric species. Cost of production estimates for PTMEG and Spandex are included for the United States and China.

The steel industry’s transition to low-carbon intensity production will total hundreds of billions of dollars in investment over the next few decades and will have far-reaching impacts on the costs, industry dynamics, and business opportunities in metallurgy. This report explores the steel industry’s path to net zero with a focus on manufacturing cost and carbon intensity of green reducing agents used with direct reduced iron technology, benchmarked against conventional alternatives.

The use of liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) is an alternative to transporting hydrogen without the need for pipeline infrastructure or hydrogen liquefaction. Instead, organic materials are hydrogenated at the hydrogen production source, transported to their destination, and dehydrogenated to release the hydrogen for use. The bulk transportation of organic liquids is commonplace, relatively low cost, and well established, thus simplifying the movement of hydrogen via LOHC. With the growing demand for green hydrogen to support decarbonization efforts worldwide, LOHC is emerging as a practical means of transporting hydrogen from production sites to consumption sites. This report provides an overview of LOHC technologies. The report also includes a technology readiness level (TRL) summary of LOHC options, carbon intensity analysis, and discussion related to the cost of transporting hydrogen for various LOHC types. Comparisons with other hydrogen transportation options such as liquefied hydrogen and ammonia are also presented.