Empowering Transition

Energy and Decarbonization

Clean Ammonia

KBR is the world’s leading ammonia process licensor, providing reliable and energy-efficient ammonia technology at lower capital cost. Around 50% of the world's ammonia is produced using our technology and 75-plus years of experience. Currently there are 260 ammonia plants worldwide utilizing our proprietary technology.

Ammonia (NH3) is gaining recognition as a key facilitator in the renewable hydrogen energy sector, serving as a long-duration energy storage solution. The global demand for clean ammonia is expected to surge significantly, driven by its potential use in power generation and marine transportation applications.

Green Ammonia

Green ammonia is a carbon-free solution produced using renewable energy sources. It can be produced from hydrogen extracted from water and nitrogen separated from air. Green ammonia can help industries to significantly reduce their environmental footprint and transition to cleaner energy.

K-Green technology

K-GreeN ®, KBR’s green ammonia process, offers the flexibility to store energy and help decarbonize the transportation, power, fertilizer and chemical sectors, supporting a reliable renewable energy future. K-GreeN enables high-efficiency synthesis of CO2-free ammonia with optimum integration of intermittent renewable energy, minimizing storage requirements.

Blue Ammonia

Blue ammonia is the outcome of a process that sequestrates CO2 via carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology during ammonia production. We have several technologies that facilitate this process.

PurifierPlusTM Technology

Our KBR PurifierPlusTM technology is used during blue ammonia production and reduces CO2 per ton of NH3, lowering capital and operational expenditure and providing a more reliable process with significant CO2 reductions.

PurifierATM Technology

KBR’s blue ammonia PurifierA TM process technology includes:

Unique integration between reforming, air separation and ammonia sections to minimize carbon intensity and energy consumption and enabling CO2 capture of up to 99% without a post combustion unit.
Several proprietary carbon capture technologies which can be offered, in addition to amine technology.

Ammonia Cracking Technology

Our proprietary ammonia cracking technology, H2ACTSM, breaks down ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen. The ammonia dissociation process and the generated hydrogen can be used for clean energy production for a low-carbon fuel, potentially playing a vital role in the energy transition.

Ammonia Efficiency Technology

K-BOOSTTM

KBR has the know-how to upgrade ammonia plants for more sustainable performance. Engineering solutions like KRES™, PURIFIER™ and Ammonia Converter provide an upgrade with high-pressure steam generation to reduce plants' greenhouse gas (GHG)-equivalent footprints to help meet environmental standards.

Ammonia 10,000

Our Ammonia 10,000 technology increases current plants' capacity to 10,000 metric tonnes per day for blue and green ammonia, helping meet growing global sustainable energy demands.

KBR Stories – Good International Industry Practice

In 2023, we worked with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to complete technical and environmental due diligence for one of the largest ammonia production facilities in Central Asia. A compliance review, assessment of environmental impacts and best available technologies, and environmental and social action plans were completed in accordance with IFC Environmental, Health and Safety guidelines. Consideration was taken to understand climate change resilience for the site, energy and water conservation, and plans for renewable, solar (photovoltaic) power supplies.

Clean Hydrogen

We are a market leader in green and blue hydrogen thanks to our expertise in industrial process development across our heritage sectors, our megaproject capabilities and our unique liquefied hydrogen solutions.

H2KPlus Technology

KBR’s large-scale blue hydrogen process uses its proprietary KRES™ and well-proven steam methane reforming (SMR)-based technology for expanding single-stream hydrogen capacity. The bulk of the CO2 generated in the process is captured as pure CO2, readily available for CO2 capture applications. Our large-scale blue hydrogen process uses a single top-fired primary reformer that is not limited by size, unlike competing technologies.

PureMSM e-Methanol Technology

We have developed an advanced e-methanol technology, PureM SM, which utilizes biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen as the primary feed components. This technology can also process feedstock from biomass or municipal solid waste gasification. The technology provides a cleaner pathway for downstream production of renewable fuels currently used for maritime transportation, and as a clean feedstock for other fuel production and high-value chemicals that enable a net-zero transition.

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage

We have been delivering solutions across the carbon capture, utilization and storage supply chain for over 60 years and have successfully developed 10 different processes for CO2 removal from ammonia synthesis gas.

KCapSM Technology

Our KCap SM technology, developed with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., is a next-generation carbon capture solution that significantly reduces capital expenditure and footprint. This technology enhances the mass transfer between CO2 gas and liquid solvent, reducing equipment size and costs while helping clients meet their net-zero targets.

AceticaSM Technology

Acetica SM is an acetic acid production technology that enables the backward integration of CO2 from carbon capture to produce high-value chemicals such as vinyl acetate monomer, a key ingredient in sustainable coatings, adhesives and other materials that support a net-zero transition. KBR is the only independent global licensor of acetic acid technology.

Renewable Energy

For more than 40 years, we have supported sustainable development by expanding access to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy through the construction of solar, hydroelectric and geothermal power plants. We are involved from the initial concept and plan development stage, to engineering and construction, through to commercial operation.

Critical Minerals

As the world strives to decarbonize, a vast majority of this effort will rely on electrification. Within our Critical Minerals business, we leverage our process knowledge and expertise to provide solutions for energy security.

From smartphones to solar panels, electric vehicles, and even space shuttles, we offer technologies for essential battery materials—minerals and metals—necessary for renewable energy, clean technology, and the transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon future.

Our technologies include PureLiSM, a unique lithium conversion and refining process to address the growing lithium-ion battery demand for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. MetExSM is our extraction and purification technology that recovers battery metal salts from various feedstocks, including ore concentrates, spent electrolytes, and e-waste. We have several other technologies in our portfolio of Sustainable Technology Solutions to help the world grow and decarbonize. KBR is committed not only to meeting the demands of the battery industry but also to mitigating environmental impact by fostering a circular economy for crucial resources.

About our alliance with Geolith

We have entered an exclusive alliance with Geolith, to deliver direct lithium extract (DLE) solutions worldwide. Through this alliance, we aim to scale Geolith's sustainable DLE technology to an industrial level. Together, we are committed to delivering lithium projects, from the extraction of raw brines to the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate.

By integrating Geolith’s LiCapt® technology with KBR’s PureLiSM refining and conversion technology, we offer a fully integrated solution capable of transforming a wide range of lithium feedstocks into battery grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide monohydrate. This combined expertise enables us to deliver an end-to-end solution, that is both environmentally friendly and economically viable. With Geolith by our side, we are poised to revolutionize the lithium industry and contribute to a sustainable energy future.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Aviation accounts for about one billion metric tons, or about 2%, of global CO2 emissions annually. Airlines around the world are committing to ambitious decarbonization goals to reach the industry target of net-zero emissions by 2050. A transition to carbon-neutral flying is needed, and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are among the most promising decarbonization pathways in the near term.

KBR is leading the way in SAF solutions to meet the aviation industry’s growing demand. PureSAF SM, a 100% sustainable fuel using the alcohol-to-jet pathway, processes a variety of feedstocks including alcohols (C2-C5 alcohols) and has the unique ability to also utilize CO2 from syngas and biogas. Additionally, the technology can produce SAF containing aromatics — a drop-in solution.

SAF Life Cycle Assessment

We have digital tools to evaluate the life cycle of greenhouse gas emissions for SAF. The life cycle assessment considers GHG emissions from feedstock production of fuel combustion and involves a sustainability appraisal of the processes. Our tool follows International Civil Aviation Organization Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme methodologies. We apply these tools to develop conceptual design solutions for SAF production.

Other Decarbonization Technologies

SCOREKleanSM Technology

SCOREKlean SM is a suite of decarbonization technologies for steam crackers that address direct, indirect, and other indirect emissions in the olefin value chain. By offering a zero-emission furnace solution, SCOREKleanSM enables our clients to balance their sustainability and growth objectives.

KCOTKleanSM Technology

Our KCOTKlean SM is a suite of low- and zero-carbon technologies that decarbonize the catalytic cracking process. KCOTKleanSM reduces carbon emissions in catalytic cracking using cleaner feeds and fuels, electrification, or carbon capture. This technology integrates our catalytic olefins technology, K-COTTM, with Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials’ (KIMM) CPOx technology.