From Bio-Based Fuels to Carbon Capture: Modular Skid-Mounted Technologies Powering the Green Transition

Introduction: Skid-Mounted Plants for a Sustainable Future

The push toward sustainable energy, circular economy, and emissions reduction is accelerating innovation in the process industries.

Companies in bio-based chemicals, advanced recycling, and carbon capture need to scale solutions quickly without the delays or risks of traditional plant construction.

That’s where Sulzer’s skid-mounted, modular plants change the game, enabling reliable, fast-track projects that deliver environmental and business benefits.

Sulzer’s Modular Green Tech Portfolio

Sulzer is at the forefront of ecological solutions. Its skid-mounted plants are built on decades of expertise and an extensive technology portfolio, including:

• Bio-based chemicals and fuels: Modular systems for bio-feedstock processing, distillation, and purification.

• Plastics and textile recycling: Skid-mounted extraction, distillation, and condensate recovery units that enable feedstock recycling at commercial scale.

• Carbon capture and utilization: Plants for solvent-based CO₂ scrubbing, amine recovery, and integrated process upgrades.

• Energy-efficient processing: Thin film evaporation, crystallization, and membrane modules for advanced separations and waste reduction.

  
  

Why Modular? Speed, Adaptability, and Reduced Risk

Sulzer’s skid-mounted plants offer unique advantages over conventional stick-built facilities:

• Shorter delivery time with fast-track, integrated execution.

• Lower overall investment costs and minimized site labor.

• Reduced installation and commissioning time, with pretested, pre-integrated systems that ensure high quality and safety.

• Minimized project risk thanks to workshop assembly, factory qualification tests, and simplified site interfaces.

• Easy scaling: Plants can be expanded module-by-module as demand or regulations evolve.

  
  

Application Highlights: Modular Sustainability in Action

• Plastics upcycling: Sulzer partnered with Quantafuel to rapidly deliver a skid-mounted modular fractionation plant that transforms plastic waste into hydrocarbon feedstocks. The plant was designed and installed in under 10 months, enabling the recycling of 66 tons of plastic per day into 53 tons of valuable product—all with minimal on-site disruption and highly flexible operation.

• Bio-based fuels: Modular Sulzer plants support the transition from fossil-based to renewable feedstocks, enabling safe, efficient separation and purification of next-generation fuels and chemicals.

• Carbon capture: Skid-mounted CO₂ absorption and solvent recovery plants, built with Sulzer’s proven extractor and column designs, help new and existing sites minimize emissions and comply with tightening regulations—delivered fast and with a compact footprint.

  
  

From Pilot to Commercial Scale: Plug-and-Play Deployment

Sulzer’s approach covers the entire plant life cycle:

• Process concept and pilot testing—Proven in Sulzer test centers and pilot units for validation and feasibility.

• Engineering and assembly—Complete 3D design, assembly, and instrumentation integration in a controlled workshop environment.

• Factory acceptance testing (FAT)—All systems rigorously verified prior to shipping, ensuring a seamless start-up at the customer site.

• Global installation and commissioning—Project managers, installation supervisors, and process engineers ensure that every plant goes live safely and on time, anywhere in the world.

• Continued support—Operator training, documentation, after-sales service, and future upgrades keep Sulzer plants running at peak performance.

  
  

Why Choose Sulzer for Skid-Mounted Modular Plants?

• 250+ modular plants delivered globally, from biofuels to plastics upcycling.

• Innovative green solutions: Sulzer leads in technology for ecological process industries.

• Proven reliability and flexibility: Modular design can be adapted to changing feedstocks, products, or regulations futureproofing your investment.

• Unmatched process expertise: Decades of experience in mass transfer, crystallization, extraction, and advanced separations.

  
  

Conclusion

The future of sustainable processing is modular, rapid, and skid-mounted. With Sulzer’s plants, companies can deliver ambitious green projects bio-based fuels, plastics recycling, and carbon capture on schedule and at scale.

Choose Sulzer’s modular leadership to streamline your green transition and ensure lasting success.

Ready to transform your next process plant project?

Contact Sulzer’s engineering team for a customized simulation, feasibility study, or live site reference and discover why global leaders choose Sulzer’s skid-mounted plants for mission-critical chemical processing.