From natural gas to plastic cups
30 Sep 2003
In what it claims is a world's first, Lurgi AG has succeeded in polymerising propylene produced by its MTP (Methanol-to-Propylene) process into polypropylene.
Lurgi AG has succeeded in polymerising propylene produced by its MTP (Methanol-to-Propylene) process into polypropylene.
The company claims that this is the first time that polypropylene has been produced from natural gas instead of petroleum using the process.
The methanol feedstock produced from natural gas was converted to propylene using the MTP process at a MTP unit that has been running at a methanol plant owned by Statoil in Norway.
To confirm the quality of the propylene obtained, samples were sent to the Polymerisation Laboratory at the Innovation Centre of Borealis in Ronningen, Norway where they were successfully polymerised to obtain polypropylene.
Lurgi now plans to offer the MTP process on a commercial scale.
