Du Pont - Burnside

Acid Plant Database June 26, 2019

Owner

Veolia

Location

3460 Highway 44
Darrow, Louisiana
USA 70725

Background

Formerly The Chemours Company www.chemours.com

Formerly E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. Inc. www.dupont.com

Website

www.veolianorthamerica.com

Plant

Burnside Plant

Coordinates

30º 7' 31" N, 90º 54' 43" W

Type of Plant

Acid Regeneration

Gas Source

Alkylation Spent Acid

Plant Capacity

1635 MTPD

SA/DA

Original: Single Absorption
200?: Converted to double absorption

Emissions

SO₂: 1007 ton (12 month rolling average)
2.4 lb/ton (3 h rolling average)

Status

Operating

Year Built

1967

Technology

Contractor

Remarks

Furnace Diameter: 19'-4"
Wall 1: 18" wide, Blasch HexWall
Wall 2 & 3: 13.5" wide, Blasch HexWall

Pictures

General

Since the facility's start-up in 1967, DuPont Burnside has grown to become an integral part of the chemical industry in Louisiana. We supply products and services to industry throughout the region.
Refineries use the high strength sulfuric acid produced at Burnside to produce gasoline. Sulfuric acid is also used to produce many other familiar products such as metals, rubber, paint, paper, plastics, pharmaceuticals and food. Sulfur trioxide, another form of sulfuric acid, is also produced at Burnside. It is used to manufacture household products like detergents and shampoo.
In addition to producing valuable products, Burnside also provides important services. One such service is the regeneration of spent acid. Spent acid refers to sulfuric acid that has been used and diluted by refineries and some chemical companies. Burnside regenerates this spent acid by using it as a raw material. Nearly half of Burnside's production comes from the regeneration of spent acid. The remaining production comes from sulfur removed from crude oil by refineries.
Burnside also participates in Fuming Acid Seminars provided by DuPont for its customers. These seminars promote safe handling and use of acids by providing training and advanced knowledge of hazards.

Process Overview

Spent acid from our customers is shipped to the Burnside plant by barge, rail car and tank truck. This acid contains impurities and excess water. Concentrating and purifying this acid would require tremendous amounts of energy. Instead, the acid is converted to sulfur dioxide and water, which are much easier to separate. At the same time, molten sulfur is burned in a large furnace to create both. The spent acid and the sulfur are then reacted with oxygen to create sulfur trioxide. A catalyst is used to promote this reaction. This can either be purified and shipped by rail car directly as product or it can be added to weak acid to make high strength acid. High strength acid is shipped by truck, rail and barge.
DuPont is committed to the safety of the environment and the community, including their employees. It exhibits this commitment by meeting or exceeding safety and environmental guidelines set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. DuPont strives to maintain its reputation as a pacesetter in safety, health and protection of the environment by setting goals of zero incidents and injuries. By continuing to provide valuable products and services, and maintaining its commitment to safety and the environment, it hopes to continue it role as a key contributor in both the Louisiana chemical industry and the Louisiana economy.

References

News

July 26, 2019 - Veolia North America said it will spend $40 million to expand its sulfuric acid regeneration plant in Ascension Parish. The move will retain all 29 employees at the Burnside facility, who have an average salary of $83,000 plus benefits. The work is expected to create about 100 construction jobs. The plant, located in Darrow, takes spent sulfuric acid and converts it to fresh, commercial-quality sulfuric acid. Refineries use sulfuric acid as a catalyst to produce high-octane gasoline. The expansion involves installing new equipment and upgrading existing equipment, which will result in a 15 percent increase in sulfuric acid regeneration capacity. This will allow Veolia to keep up with a growing demand for acid. To secure the expansion, the state offered Veolia a comprehensive incentive package that includes a $450,000 modernization tax credit. The company is expected to use the state’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program.

December 7, 2017 - Veolia North America announces a meaningful investment for a new “debottlenecking” project at its Burnside, La., sulfur regeneration facility, which provides merchant sulfuric acid regeneration services to refineries and produces various sulfur-based products. The project investment will increase spent sulfuric acid regeneration capacity by 15 percent annually and will be completed during the plant’s Fall 2018 turnaround.

“This is an important step forward in growing our Regeneration Services capabilities,” said Veolia North America president and CEO William J. “Bill” DiCroce. “The debottlenecking project at Burnside will address some of the equipment, process and system design issues that limit our current capacity – and improve our overall market position and reliability. It will offer a real solution for refiners’ additional spent acid regeneration requirements, and demonstrates our lasting commitment to their business.” Refiners today are pushing the current acid regeneration circuit to nearly 100% capacity, because of spiking demand for alkylate. Alkylate is the refining industry’s preferred gasoline additive, used to help achieve the fuel efficiency standards and low emission ratings demanded by regulators and consumers. By adding capacity through this expansion project, Veolia is taking the lead in supporting its customers’ growth requirements as well as positioning itself for further growth. In the United States, there are approximately 100 refineries with alkylation units, which use either sulfuric acid or hydrofluoric acid as the production catalyst. Veolia offers regenerative solutions for both alkylation types, specifically potassium hydroxide (KOH) processing and sulfuric acid regeneration capabilities. In addition to the expansion, the Burnside facility will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an event on December 7. “This major milestone is a testament to the dedication of management and staff that have safely provided high quality merchant sulfuric acid regeneration services, advanced improvements to the facility and supported the local community over the last half century,” said Steve Hopper, president and COO, Industrial Water and Regeneration Services for Veolia North America. Veolia’s largest "hybrid" sulfuric acid regeneration and sulfur burning facility, capable of handling both fuming and non-fuming acids, the Burnside facility has been continuously upgraded since its construction in 1967 and has been recognized repeatedly by the local community and by the state of Louisiana for its strong safety and environmental compliance records.

June 14, 2016 - Veolia North America has signed an agreement to take over Chemours’ Sulfur Products division. This division is a specialist in the recovery of sulfuric acid and gases of the refining process, which are regenerated in clean acid and steam used in wide range of industrial activities. As a tuck-in to Veolia North America’s Industrial Business, Chemours Sulfur Products division is an excellent complement to Veolia’s existing business, and will reinforce its existing recovery and regeneration capabilities and technologies. Sulfuric acid is one of the most important compounds made by the chemical industry and is used to manufacture hundreds of compounds needed by almost every industry. Natural gas and oil contain sulfur compounds, both organic and hydrogen sulfide, both of which must be removed before they are used as fuels or chemical feedstock. Through the takeover of Chemour’s Sulfur Products assets for $325 million, Veolia complements its asset base in the regeneration business, and thus the circular economy. This operation includes the following facilities providing regeneration services and sulfur products:

- Three Sulfuric Acid Recovery units located on refinery sites in Delaware, New Jersey and Texas.

- A merchant Sulfuric Acid Recovery and sulfur product facility in Burnside, Louisiana.

- Four sulfur-based acid production facilities located in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast.

Veolia will also be able to rely on the inherent technical expertise relating to sulfur through Chemours’ Acid Technology Center, which boasts 18 engineers who exclusively support the Sulfur Products division. This take-over provides Veolia with a highly differentiated services offering to allow it to move up the value chain with existing refinery customers, along with an opportunity to cross-sell its existing offerings to a new customer base. It also presents growth opportunities within the refinery services sector, and it positions Veolia to capture future demand for clean gasoline related products. The Sulfur Products assets, with approximately $262 million in revenue in 2015, employs 250 employees at 7 sites across North America. Parties anticipate closing the transaction within the second half of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

July 1, 2015 - Today DuPont announced it has completed the separation of its Performance Chemicals segment through the spin-off of The Chemours Company (Chemours). Chemours begins "regular way" trading today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol "CC". Today DuPont common stockholders receive one share of common stock of Chemours for every five shares of DuPont common stock they held at5:00 p.m. ET on June 23, 2015. DuPont common stockholders will receive cash in lieu of fractional shares of Chemours. "Today's successful spin-off advances DuPont's transformation to a higher growth, higher value, global science and innovation company," said DuPont Chair and Chief Executive Officer Ellen Kullman. "We are now fully focused on markets where our science gives the company a distinct competitive advantage, enabling DuPont to drive higher, more stable growth. "The next generation DuPont is leaner and more efficient, better able to capitalize on key capabilities that help solve major global challenges and enable our customers to provide plentiful, healthier food; renewably sourced advanced materials; ample energy; better infrastructure and transportation," said Kullman. "As we move forward, we are committed to continuing to execute our strategy to deliver value for shareholders today, while positioning DuPont for a successful future."

MTPD - Metric Tonne per Day STPD - Short Ton per Day
MTPA - Metric Tonne per Annum STPA - Short Ton per Annum
SA - Single Absorption
DA - Double Absorption

* Coordinates can be used to locate plant on Google Earth


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