Honeywell's UOP grants third technology license for breakthrough methanol-to-olefins technology

09-Nov-12

Honeywell's UOP granted the third technology license for its breakthrough methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology to China's Shandong Yangmei Hengtong Chemicals Co. Ltd. The Chinese company will use Honeywell UOP's advanced MTO process to convert methanol from gasified coal into ethylene and propylene. The process combines the UOP/Hydro MTO process and the Total Petrochemicals/UOP olefin cracking process to convert methanol from gasified coal into over 295,000 tpa ethylene and propylene at its facility in Tancheng, Linyi City, China. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywell's UOP will provide basic engineering, catalysts, adsorbents, specialty equipment, technical services and training for the project, which is expected to start up in 2014. China is the world's largest producer of coal, accounting for nearly 50% of global production, according to the US Energy Information Administration, making it an attractive alternative feedstock for in-country production of plastics building blocks. "UOP's advanced MTO solution allows petrochemical producers in China such as Shandong to tap abundant and cheap coal resources, produce high yields of valuable petrochemicals, and reduce operating costs," said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP process technology and equipment business unit. This technology will help Shandong meet growing demand in China for ethylene and propylene."