DES PLAINES, US: UOP Llc, a Honeywell company, said that China’s Better Clean Energy has licensed its advanced methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process to convert methanol into high-value petrochemicals, helping meet growing global demand for plastics and other key materials.
Founded in 2007, Better Clean Energy will use Honeywell UOP’s advanced MTO process to produce 300,000 metric tonne of ethylene and propylene per year at its new facility in Shandong province in Eastern China. Honeywell UOP will provide engineering, training, technical service and specialty equipment for the facility, which is expected to start up in 2016.
Better Clean Energy Co Ltd is a subsidiary of Better Holdings Group, a professional automobile wheel manufacturer.
Honeywell UOP’s MTO technology provides a cost-effective way to convert methanol derived from coal or natural gas, rather than imported crude oil, into the components to make plastics, synthetics and other materials.
This award is Honeywell UOP’s fifth licensing win for its MTO process. That unit has produced more than 360 million pounds of ethylene and propylene since it went into production, meeting all of its performance criteria, including yield quality and quantity.
“MTO technology has revolutionized the modern petrochemicals industry by providing an economical way to turn low-cost coal and even natural gas into the chemicals needed to make plastics,” said Mike Millard, vice president and general manager, Honeywell UOP’s process technology and equipment business.
Honeywell UOP’s advanced MTO process combines the UOP/hydro MTO process and the Total/UOP olefin cracking process to significantly increase yields and feedstock efficiency. In addition to offering the lowest operating cost, quick and efficient start-up and operational reliability, the advanced MTO process also offers flexibility in the ratio of propylene and ethylene produced, so operators can adjust to most effectively meet market demands.
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