CB&I to market breakthrough methanol-to-olefins technology

London - Lummus Technology, part of CB&I, and Shaanxi Xin Xing Coal Chemical Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd (SYN) have signed a cooperative marketing agreement to globally license DMTO methanol-to-olefins technology.

The new technology enables new licensees to produce olefins from methanol, an economical alternative to crude oil-derived feedstocks. It also produces enhanced yields that will enable producers to cost-effectively expand their capacity-restricted olefins plants, which is not feasible using conventional ethylene technology.

The first application for this technology will be at the Shenhua Baotou Coal Chemicals Co. Ltd plant in Baotou, China, which is currently in the detailed engineering and construction phase, and is expected to be completed by 2010. The plant is designed to produce 600,000 tonnes per annum of ethylene and propylene from methanol.

SYN is a joint venture company, controlled by DICP (Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), which licenses DMTO technology. DICP is a multidisciplinary institute engaging in both fundamental and applied researches of chemistry and chemical engineering, with strong capabilities in technological development.

DICP, which has 30 years of DMTO technology research and development experience, is recognized as a world leader in this field. Since its founding, the institute has cultivated a number of scientists and academic leaders who have earned prominence both in China and abroad.