Convert Natural Gas Directly to Ethylene

Siluria Technologies and Braskem have formed a broad-ranging collaboration around the deployment of Siluria’s proprietary oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) technology for the direct conversion of methane, the largest component of natural gas, to ethylene.

Under the collaboration, the two companies will conduct a joint feasibility study to identify commercial deployment opportunities of Siluria’s technology at Braskem’s ethylene consuming plants. The collaboration also provides for certain non-exclusive technology license options for the world-scale deployment of Siluria’s technology by Braskem, as well as opportunities for Braskem to be a purchaser of ethylene produced from future Siluria plants, and rights for Siluria ownership participation in Braskem commercial projects using OCM technology. The collaboration is in conjunction with the previously announced hosting of Siluria’s OCM demonstration plant at Braskem’s site in La Porte, TX, USA. The $15 million factory should open in the fourth quarter.

Siluria’s OCM technology provides a novel process for the catalytic conversion of methane and oxygene directly into ethylene and water without the high heat used in crackers. The technology’s use of commonly available natural gas as feedstock, compatibility with existing industry operations, as well as its relative simplicity and energy efficiency provide very attractive economics compared to existing ethylene production processes, like ethane and naphtha cracking. Additionally, the company’s ethylene-to-liquids (ETL) technology packages are designed to provide substantial capital, operating cost, and product slate advantages over alternative gas-to-liquids technologies.

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