BP
Green energy from PTA wastewater
BP Petrochemical is the inventor and a leading producer of Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) that is largely used in the production of polyester. PTA is used to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is the raw material for e.g. carbonated beverage bottles. PTA production is an energy intensive process, making BP eager to search for energy-saving opportunities.
Large advances have been made in BP’s complementary environmental technologies. For example, BP was the first to recognise the potential of sustainable anaerobic technology for the conversion of organic material from PTA wastewater into biogas that is reused as fuel in the production.
In 2000 the company acquired the first BIOPAQ®IC bioreactor at a production site in Malaysia. This system runs very well, which led to the acquisition of another three BIOPAQ®IC installations at other production sites.
