Aramco, an energy and chemicals company based in Saudia Arabia, has partnered with CoorsTek Inc. affiliate CoorsTek Membrane Sciences to commercialize advanced metal-ceramic membrane technology. This collaboration aims to enhance pre-combustion carbon capture processes, providing a cost-effective method for reducing carbon emissions in energy-intensive industries.
The partnership focuses on improving catalytic membrane reformers that integrate metal-ceramic membranes with reforming catalysts. This streamlined process converts hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2), facilitating CO2 capture and storage while utilizing H2 as a decarbonized energy carrier. The metal-ceramic membranes are also suitable for hydrogen extraction from back-cracking of ammonia (NH3).
Timothy Coors, chairman of CoorsTek Membrane Sciences, said, “We are excited to collaborate with Aramco on this groundbreaking technology. Together, we plan to bring to market a solution that not only addresses the need for carbon reduction in the energy and chemical industry, but also enables more efficient hydrogen value chains – an essential component for the lower-carbon energy export and import at global scale.”
Aqil Jamal, carbon management R&D chief technologist at Aramco, explained the advantages of the technology: “It’s not just the new membrane itself that motivates us, but what becomes possible when it’s coupled with a catalyst. This new generation of catalytic membrane reactors allows us to surpass equilibrium limits for key chemical reactions, significantly reducing the energy required to separate CO2.”
CoorsTek Membrane Sciences Managing Director Per Vestre highlighted the economic benefits. “The potential cost savings are substantial,” Vestre said. “Our techno-economic models indicate that using these membrane reactors can significantly lower the cost of decarbonizing ethylene production — one of the world’s most important base chemicals — by up to 50% compared to alternatives like post-combustion carbon capture or direct electrification through renewable power.”
CoorsTek Membrane Sciences, an affiliate of Golden-based CoorsTek, is a technology developer and manufacturer with headquarters in Oslo, Norway. Aramco focuses on the energy sector through oil supplies and the development of new energy technologies.
