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Our References

Real success stories. Real results.

Discover how Sulzer chemtech process solutions have helped customers solve complex challenges, improve efficiency, and achieve long-term reliability across industries.

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Pharmaceuticals

Switzerland

Enhancing solvent recovery and API concentration with EvapCare™-F

Challenge:

Reduce high energy consumption, improve solvent recovery above 96–97%, increase API concentration by 30–40x, and overcome space constraints.

Solution:

Installed two EvapCare™-F units thermally coupled for efficient multi-effect evaporation, delivered as compact skid-mounted systems for easy transport and installation.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved 50% reduction in heat duty, saving approx. €150,000/year in steam costs, and reduced solvent losses for annual savings of around €180,000.

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Chemicals

Portugal

Transforming pulp waste into profitable and sustainable revenue with EvapCare™-F

Challenge:

Recover valuable chemicals (acetic acid and furfural) from wastewater streams while reducing environmental risks, meeting strict compliance requirements, and minimizing excessive energy consumption.

Solution:

Implemented EvapCare™-F falling film vacuum distillation combined with OptimEXT™ liquid-liquid extraction in a 3x skid-mounted design, validated through internal product testing.

Technology:
Results:

Converted waste into profit (+€1.5M/year), achieved 10x lower energy consumption (saving 720,000 tons of steam/year), and ensured full compliance with EU water regulations.

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Chemicals

Europe

Efficient solvent recovery with EvapCare™-W in specialty chemicals

Challenge:

Recover high-purity solvent from a feed containing 3–10% solids, while minimizing losses of solvent with solids and reducing high steam consumption. Create a reliable unit to recover maximum solvent for circularity.

Solution:

Implemented a skid-mounted EvapCare™-W unit with integrated heat recovery to concentrate solids and recover solvent efficiently.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved 98% solvent recovery, reduced steam usage by 25%, saved approx. €450,000/year in solvent and €150,000/year in energy, and enabled robust operation with solids concentrated up to 65%.

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Refining

Asia

Achieving 95% thermal efficiency for fired heaters

Challenge:

A refinery needed to boost the thermal efficiency of several fired heaters both natural-draft and forced-draft with APH to reduce fuel consumption and meet decarbonization targets. However, efficiency was limited to 92% due to sulfur dew point corrosion risks.

Solution:

Sulzer applied 95+ Heater technology as drop-in solution to those existing fired heaters, both natural-draft ones and forced-draft ones, to treat their fuel gas. After 95+ Heater technology applications, the sulfur dew point is eliminated and significantly more heat recovery can be recovered.

Technology:
Results:

All upgraded heaters achieved >95% thermal efficiency with no signs of corrosion or fouling. Flue gas temperatures dropped to 85 °C, fuel gas consumption was significantly reduced, and the refinery exceeded its decarbonization goals with a fast return on investment.

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Refining

Asia

Converting FCC gasoline to petrochemicals

Challenge:

A refinery anticipated a long-term decline in gasoline demand and sought to convert part of its gasoline molecules into petrochemical products, focusing on its largest unit – FCC.

Solution:

Sulzer applied GT-BTX PluS unit to process the MCN (middle cracked naphtha) of the FCC gasoline that contains C6-C8 portion. The GT-BTX PluS utilized two-column extractive distillation system to extract the high-purity aromatics from the MCN, followed by HDS to remove sulfur to meet the petrochemical-spec benzene, toluene, and mixed xylenes.

Technology:
Results:

Roughly 20% of the FCC gasoline is converted into high-purity BTX. The remaining non-aromatic stream can be recycled for extra propylene (via FCC) or additional BTX (via GT-Aromatization).

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Refining

Asia

Helping the FCC gasoline desulfurization to reduce its octane loss to near-zero

Challenge:

A refinery was in need to remove sulfur from its FCC gasoline to meet Euro-5 specification, but all available hydrodesulfurization method have notable octane loss due to partial olefin saturation.

Solution:

Sulzer applied GT-BTX PluS unit to treat the MCN (middle cracked naphtha) of the FCC gasoline before the HDS (hydrodesulfurization) unit. The GT-BTX PluS utilized two-column extractive distillation system to separate olefins from sulfur, allowing sulfur removal by HDS while all the olefins being skipped, preserved, and enter to gasoline pool directly.

Technology:
Results:

The octane loss across the FCC desulfurization unit is reduced from ~3 to much less than 1 (<1) after applying GT-BTX PluS unit. The HDS unit also has much less hydrogen consumption because olefins are being skipped instead of being saturated. Project payback time is less than 3 years.

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Refining

Middle East

Existing aromatics extraction unit revamp to boost recovery and cut energy use

Challenge:

Several refineries and petrochemical plants suffered large amount of aromatics loss, especially benzene loss, in their NFM solvent extraction units. Most units had done multiple troubleshooting attempts with physical modifications while keeping the NFM solvent, but failed to achieve required improvement.

Solution:

Sulzer revamped the units using GT-BTX™ technology, replacing NFM with the high-efficiency proprietary Techtiv™ solvent. Existing columns and major equipment were reused to minimize revamp costs.

Technology:
Results:

Benzene loss dropped to below 1% immediately after the revamp. Energy consumption decreased, some units gained extra capacity, and project payback was less than one year.

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Chemicals

United States

Flexible wastewater separation upgrade

Challenge:

A polymer producer needed to replace the existing binary column wastewater unit as it was not separating light and heavy alcohols from the wastewater efficiently and represented an environmental problem. The new system had to operate with enough flexibility to handle varying polymer production upstream.

Solution:

Sulzer conducted a FEED study to design a flexible and reliable system that prevents polymer-related blockages. The final design included two columns using PEMFlux stripping technology to meet the strict specifications for isopropanol and TAA in the bottoms stream.

Results:

Since 2019, the system has operated smoothly, adapting to changing feed conditions while consistently meeting environmental discharge standards.

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Pharmaceuticals

United States

Smart recovery with stability and efficiency

Challenge:

Stripping 1-propanol from wastewater to below 100 ppmv under varying feed temperature conditions and avoiding downstream disruptions. 

Solution:

Sulzer's PEMFlux stripping technology combined high-efficiency internals and heat recovery to reduce the alcohol to less than 100ppmv. The system was optimized for unsteady conditions and engineered to maintain performance across fluctuating feed temperatures.

Results:

The system achieved the targeted 1-propanol discharge requirements with minimized emissions and improved energy efficiency, ensuring stable downstream performance.

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Pharmaceuticals

Europe

Boosting capacity with lower energy consumption

Challenge:

An existing wastewater stripping system could not provide the operating flexibility and increase in capacity required by the client. Additionally, the stream contained organic and chlorinated compounds that needed to meet very low outlet concentrations. 

Solution:

Sulzer performed pilot testing with analysis to guarantee the organic content in the wastewater was <150 mg/l, and the chlorinated compounds were below 2mg/l. Using Sulzer's proprietary PEMFlux stripping technology, the system included high-performance internals, heat recovery and energy optimization.

Results:

The unit has been in operation since 2014, meeting flexibility in operating capacity while providing a reduction in energy consumption of the column.

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Gas processing and fuel management

Asia

Small footprint, big impact in decarbonization of ships

Challenge:

A new dual-fueled cargo ship builder needed a compact solution to recover excess BOG (boil-off gas) from LNG. 

Solution:

zeroBOG system was designed using liquid LNG as the continuous phase, minimizing liquid hold-up and optimizing its footprint.

Technology:
Results:

The unit was installed providing operational simplicity allowing for self-regulation that handled varying load conditions and liquid-gas maldistribution during marine transport.

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Gas processing and fuel management

Asia

Delivering 12+ years of reliability on FSRU

Challenge:

An LNG carrier was converted into a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), due to limited space and strict weight restriction, needed a space-efficient BOG (boil-off gas) recondensation system. 

Solution:

zeroBOG system was installed during the conversion process, designed to maintain complete BOG recondensation regardless of fluctuating flow rates and operational conditions.

Technology:
Results:

The unit has 12+ years of continuous, stable operation, with consistent performance despite varying BOG flow rates and process conditions.

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Chemicals

Belgium

High yield recovery of ethyl acetate and toluene in adhesives industry

Challenge:

The Customer would like to recover both ethyl acetate and toluene from a single waste that had variable compositions day-by-day. Very high yield (up to 98%) and purity (>99.8%) for both products were targeted. Furthermore, these products had a highly challenging water specification to fulfill (<200 ppm).  

Solution:

Delivered a compact Excelot™ skid-mounted unit with innovative design enabling recycling of intermediate cuts to boost yield without compromising purity.

Technology:
Results:

Fulfilled both high purity and yield targets, ensuring efficient and sustainable solvent recovery for the adhesives industry.

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Food; Flavors & Fragrances

Germany

Purification of five different essential oils with stringent limits

Challenge:

A flavors and fragrances company needed to purify five essential oils, each with unique requirements for concentration, fractionation, and removal of toxins and VOCs some down to ppm levels. The task was complicated by a strict 20-hour batch limit, limited VLE data, and space constraints at the production site.

Solution:

Sulzer installed a compact Excelot™ skid designed to deliver a high number of theoretical separation stages while adhering to the site's space constraints. This configuration enabled flexible, multipurpose operation across all five diverse feedstocks.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved purity from 80% up to 99.99%, met strict batch time requirements, and validated performance through pilot testing with process guarantees.

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Polymer Recycling

Germany

Sulzer provides a cutting-edge rapid quenching technology for plastic pyrolysis oil

Challenge:

A plastics pyrolysis plant faced severe fouling in its quenching system, causing frequent shutdowns and high maintenance costs, while needing to maintain oil quality and minimize CAPEX.

Solution:

Implemented Sulzer PyroCon™ single-step quenching system with optimized liquid distribution and anti-fouling design, delivered as a compact, stainless-steel unit to upgrade the existing setup.

Technology:
Results:

Eliminated fouling-related downtime, improved pyrolysis oil yield, ensured continuous operation since mid-2021, and enhanced profitability with reliable, low-maintenance performance.

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Food; Flavors & Fragrances

United States

Sustainable aroma preservation with Sulzer’s EvapCare™-F

Challenge:

Preserve delicate aromas in bio-based extracts during concentration at temperatures below 50°C, minimize liquid waste.

Solution:

Implemented EvapCare™-F falling film evaporator with advanced vacuum technology, optimized geometry, and Marangoni effect control for low-temperature operation; integrated zero-liquid-waste design and OPC UA connectivity for real-time process control.

Technology:
Results:

Maintained aroma integrity, eliminated liquid waste, improved product recovery, and delivered a sustainable, efficient evaporation process aligned with the client’s environmental goals.

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Pharmaceuticals

Switzerland

VoltaSplit™ reduces energy consumption and emissions for major Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer

Challenge:

The customer needed an ethanol recovery distillation system that could operate without steam (boiler at full capacity) and fit within a restricted space, while reducing energy use and emissions.

Solution:

Implemented an indirect VoltaSplit™ configuration with a high-temperature heat pump, delivered as a compact skid-built unit, eliminating steam consumption and avoiding costly boiler upgrades.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved zero steam use, significantly reduced energy consumption, lowered emissions, and delivered a short payback time.

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Chemicals

Europe

Optimizing methanol distillation with Sulzer VoltaSplit™

Challenge:

Design a methanol–water distillation system for a green methanol plant powered only by renewable energy with no access to steam, while cutting down energy usage and aligning with the plant’s sustainability objectives.

Solution:

Implement an electrified distillation system equipped with VoltaSplit™ using mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) to compress overhead vapors and reuse their energy to heat the distillation system, eliminating the need for external heat sources like steam.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved utility savings of $4M/year vs. conventional distillation, reduced CO₂ emissions by 81–98% (depending on electricity source) and payback time in under two years.

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Chemicals

Morocco

Up to 40% less CAPEX in phosphoric acid purification with OptimEXT™

Challenge:

Reduce high capital costs and large footprint of traditional phosphoric acid purification processes, which require multiple mixer-settlers or columns for extraction, scrubbing, and stripping steps.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ with integrated Kühni™ extraction columns capable of combining multiple steps (extraction + washing) in a single unit, reducing equipment count and auxiliary systems.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved food-grade phosphoric acid with high recovery yield, reduced CAPEX by up to 30% (plus 10% from auxiliary equipment elimination), minimized footprint by 30%, and shortened start-up times by 15–20%.

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Petrochemicals

Asia

Transforming waste into wealth, OptimEXT™ achieved over 90% base oil recovery

Challenge:

Convert used lubricating oil into premium-quality base oil by removing complex impurities (PAHs, sulfur, nitrogen, chlorides) without relying on costly, energy-intensive hydrotreating processes.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ advanced extraction technology with integrated solvent recovery; conducted on-site pilot tests to optimize solvent use and process design; delivered a full-scale industrial unit within 12 months.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved over 90% base oil recovery, produced API Group II premium base oil, removed all critical impurities (including sulfur reduced by 100x), and enabled cost-effective, sustainable production.

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Mining and metal processing

Qinghai, China

Achieving over 99% lithium recovery with a simplified process

Challenge:

Improve lithium recovery from brines while reducing the complexity, footprint, and solvent usage & losses of traditional mixer-settler systems (20–30 units), which caused high CAPEX/OPEX, long residence times, and environmental risks.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ system with Kühni™ agitated columns in a compact, fully enclosed design; conducted full-scale pilot trials at ISL’s site to optimize process parameters and column internals for high separation efficiency.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved >99% lithium recovery, reduced solvent inventory by up to 60%, cut plant footprint by 60–70%, minimized VOC emissions and environmental impact, and lowered both CAPEX and OPEX while ensuring process safety and sustainability.

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Chemicals

China

Chemtech develops circular system for leading sebacic acid manufacturer

Challenge:

Reduce phenol concentration in wastewater from 1,000 ppm to 300 ppm while reusing phenol to lower environmental impact and costs.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ an innovative liquid-liquid extraction system using ricinoleic acid as a solvent, integrated into a Kühni agitated column (ECR) to recover phenol and create a circular process.

Technology:
Results:

30 m column processing 77,000 L/h, achieving 200 ppm phenol (better than the 300 ppm target), with 50%–120% capacity flexibility, reducing costs and environmental footprint.

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Pharmaceuticals

Portugal

Separation technology used to speed up fight against COVID-19

Challenge:

The pharmaceutical company needed to increase production capacity extremely quickly due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ system with Sulzer Kühni™ agitated column (ECR) for liquid-liquid extraction from available stock, shipped within one day, and provided installation and start-up support to ramp up production in less than two weeks.

Technology:
Results:

Enabled Farmhispania to significantly boost production quickly, meeting urgent global healthcare demands during the pandemic.

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Chemicals

China

OptimEXT™ transformed phenol recovery for a phenolic resin producer

Challenge:

The client’s batch-based process produced phenol-rich wastewater with complex contaminants like formaldehyde and alcohols. This led to high variability, frequent manual adjustments, low efficiency, and reduced product quality.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ with advanced solvent recovery and distillation systems, enabling automated, efficient phenol recovery and reuse.

Technology:
Results:

Achieved >99.8% extraction efficiency, reduced phenol in wastewater to 45 ppm (below 100 ppm target), eliminated low-grade resin by-product, enabled premium resin production, improved sustainability, and delivered a payback period under two years.

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Petrochemicals

Batam, Batam City, Riau Islands, Indonesia

OptimEXT™ enabled green rubber oil (RPO) production

Challenge:

Produce high‑quality, regulatory‑compliant TDAE while keeping PCAs below 3% despite highly variable feedstocks and difficult physical properties without sacrificing efficiency or yield.

Solution:

OptimEXT™ featured with Kühni™ agitated column; extensive pilot tests on multiple RPO feedstocks (PCAs 15–28%); extractor internals to handle viscosity/density challenges; scaled to industrial operation with >25 t/h feed and a performance guarantee.

Technology:
Results:

Consistent on‑spec TDAE from start‑up; >93% removal of all PCAs; PAHs reduced to <10 ppm, with Benzo(a)pyrene at ~1 ppm; stable high‑volume production, higher yields, full regulatory compliance, and a strengthened market position.
>25 tons/hour of RPO feedstock

150+ Years Experience

Proven track record in chemical process engineering and equipment manufacturing.

Global Presence

Worldwide support network with local expertise and rapid response capabilities.

Quality Assurance

ISO certified processes and rigorous quality control for reliable, safe operations.

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