Celanese Co. announced it has been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as a Utilization Procurement Grants (UPGrants) vendor. Celanese is now the only producer offering low-carbon acetic acid under the ECO-CC product name, which positions the company to help municipalities meet the growing demand for more sustainable and circular solutions.

As the U.S. economy moves toward a lower carbon future, the DOE is seeking to support states, local governments, public utilities and agencies to procure commercial or industrial products derived from anthropogenic carbon emissions. This includes Celanese low carbon acetic acid, which uses the ECO-CC product name because it is manufactured using carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology. 

Earlier this year, Celanese announced the operation of its 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 annually. The CCU project 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, such as acetic acid ECO-CC, and can help produce a wide range of end products across most major industries.

“By using recycled CO₂ as a raw material, we unlock the potential to offer lower carbon footprint options with carbon capture content across more than 90 percent of our Acetyl Chain product offerings,” said Kevin Norfleet, global sustainability director, Acetyls at Celanese. “Our ECO-CC solutions are uniquely positioned to help UPGrants eligible entities reduce their carbon footprint in applications including waste-water treatment, de-icing, fertilization, interior painting and more.”

To learn more, visit www.celanese.com and www.mitsui.com.