Mitsui Chemicals Achieves 85% Ammonia Co-Firing in Naphtha Cracker Furnace to Cut Petrochemical CO2

Mitsui Chemicals and partners have hit an 85% ammonia co-firing rate on a heat-input basis in a full naphtha cracking furnace. The test used new ammonia burners under a NEDO Green Innovation Fund project, targeting carbon-free heat for petrochemical furnaces. Hearth burners ran on 100% ammonia while wall burners stayed on off-gas, still reaching the 85% mark without raising NOx emissions above commercial levels. This matters because cracking furnaces are a major CO2 source in petrochemical complexes. Replacing methane-rich off-gas with ammonia cuts combustion emissions directly. The project now plans to convert wall burners and pursue 100% ammonia firing. Commercial scaling is still ahead, but the result shows a concrete path to lower-carbon ethylene and propylene production.