Eurochem selects MTO process for ethylene & propylene
11 Feb '08
3 min read
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that Viva Methanol Limited, a subsidiary of Eurochem, has selected the UOP/Hydro MTO process technology and the Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking process technology to produce light olefins - the basic building blocks for plastics - from natural gas-derived methanol at a new Viva Polymers Ltd facility in Nigeria.
The project will be the first commercial-scale installation of the MTO process and Olefin Cracking process technologies. The facility, located within the Lagos Free Trade Zone, Nigeria, will produce olefins from methanol derived from natural gas, an attractive, “cost-advantaged” feedstock that is plentiful in the region.
The new facility will produce 1.3 million metric tons of ethylene and propylene annually for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene, which are used in the production of plastics for packaging, pipes, carpeting, film and other products. UOP will provide technology license, basic engineering, catalysts, adsorbents, specialty equipment, and technical support. The new plant is expected to come online in 2012.
“Methanol-to-olefins technology will allow us to use natural gas available in Nigeria and is more cost effective than traditional olefin production from crude oil derived feedstocks,” said Mr Mohan K Vaswani, chairman of Viva Methanol Limited. “With 10,000 metric tons of methanol produced per day, this will be the largest methanol production facility in the world, and UOP technology will help us convert this methanol to high-value olefins to support growing plastics demand.”