A new agricultural fertiliser plant was officially inaugurated at Statoil's Kalundborg refinery near Copenhagen last week.
Developed by Danish contractor Haldor Topsøe, this DKK 77 million ammonia thiosulphate (ATS) facility ranks as the first of its kind.
Using sulphur removed from oil products as its raw material, the new plant cuts annual emissions of sulphur dioxide from the refinery by 60 per cent or 560 tonnes.
A 30 per cent reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions – from 900 to 600 tonnes annually – will also be achieved.
On line since August, the facility forms part of the industrial symbiosis established with several other Kalundborg companies.
In his speech at the inauguration, Mr Topsøe said that he sees the challenge when companies say cleaning costs money and undermines profitability.
He thanked Statoil executive vice president Erling Øverland for the solution which gives the group a competitive edge as well as being a good business.
The Danish Energy Agency has also welcomed the improvement at Kalundborg, and allocated DKK 11.8 million to support the development.
With an annual output of 27,000 tonnes, the plant covers Danish requirements for fertiliser