Company profile: Salof Ltd
The story of Salof Ltd dates from 1977 when George Salof founded Salof Refrigeration. Back then, the focus was primarily on providing modular low temperature industrial refrigeration equipment and systems. Today, these systems continue to be a key part of the business in the domestic and international markets, but there is now a wider proposition.
As Salof continued trading, the firm ventured into new markets. These new business avenues ranged from supplying sulfuric acid recovery systems for steel processing companies to suppling beverage grade liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) to the drinks industry. Even the liquid natural gas (LNG) market has been explored.
All these efforts gradually paid off. Then, in 2013, GE Oil and Gas purchased most of the assets of Salof Refrigeration with the intent of expanding its capabilities in the LNG market. Later, in 2017, after observing that many customers were not being adequately served, the decision was made to rebrand the remaining operation as Salof Ltd Inc.
The modern-day Salof
Today, Salof offers a core group of technologies in the gas processing sector, with a focus on CO2, LNG and other low-temperature gas-processing applications.
In today’s market, the company is the only US supplier that can offer a total solution for the capture of CO2 from industrial sources.
From FEED, equipment procurement, fabrication, module assembly, system controls and commissioning, Salof performs this work entirely in house, with third party verification if required by governing bodies.
With the focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) growing around the world, and also a shortfall in CO2 capacity, Salof is really taking advantage of the opportunities that are coming its way. Already, the firm has several carbon capture projects in house – and expects the backlog to continue to grow in 2023/2024.
One notable recent development Salof has played a part in is the Red Trail Energy CCS project. Located in North Dakota, the project injects around 500 metric tons per day of captured CO2 from Red Trail Energy’s ethanol fermentation process. It is the first CCS project allowed under state primacy in the US.
And Salof’s part? It provided the capture, compression, dehydration, purification, liquefaction and high-pressure surface pumps to provide the supercritical CO2 to the pipeline inlet metering station. It is an end-to-end solution.
The IRA effect
More projects like the above will continue to flow in the US as companies become more environmentally conscious and accountable. Also, in August 2022 the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law to fight inflation, invest in domestic energy and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 40% by 2025.
Speaking to gasworld on the legislation, Bob Luhrs, President of Salof, explains, “I think everyone is aware of the drive to reduce the carbon emissions from their operations and the opportunities to do so under 45Q tax credit and the IRA. But, as with everything else in life, the devil is in the detail.”
“Some producers have a higher CO2 concentration in the emitted gas stream and are closer to a sink to transfer the CO2 than others. Everyone is, or has been, in the process of identifying how their site fits into the IRA and its opportunities.”
This is where Salof comes in. An additional service that the company offers is providing expert assistance to potential customers and advising on how to utilize carbon capture technology and get the best return on investment.
The company believes 2023 will be the year where the opportunities presented in the IRA are properly scoped and identified. From there, companies will have the clarity to move forward in implementing their carbon capture and utilization plans.
