Omnia CDG

completed

The objective of this project is to provide a Carbon Delivery Guarantee for Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) to be generated by Omnia Fertilizer Limited (Omnia) Sasolburg, South Africa, through installation of a nitrous oxide (N2O) destruction facility at its nitric acid plant. This project will reduce the N2O emissions from Omnia Fertilizers’ nitric acid plant by up to 98% by installing an N2O catalytic reduction facility in the tail gas section of the process downstream of the absorption tower. Implementation of the project will result in GHG emission reductions, conservatively calculated between ~550,000 – ~580,000 tCO2e per year. Thus, in 2008, for example, total tCO2e will be reduced from ~615,000 to ~33,000 tCO2e. Catalytic reduction of N2O occurs when the N2O reacts with a reducing agent in contact with a catalyst. The reaction removes the oxygen from the N2O molecules and forms one or more compounds. This project activity will result in revenue to Omnia from the sale of CER''s, which will be utilized to defray significant capital investment and ongoing maintenance costs for the facility. The project brings not only environmental benefits in the form of reduced N2O and NOx emissions but also, as the first nitric acid plant in South Africa to seek registration, it can act as the catalyst to encourage other South African nitric acid producers to implement N2O reduction measures. Moreover, the project will create construction jobs during erection of the N2O reduction facility and sustainable employment in maintaining and monitoring facility performance. A portion of the revenue from the sale of CER’s will help alleviate unemployment and poverty in the host community.