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INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM From Natural to via Methane Homologation and Oxidative Dehydrogenation

New catalysts promise higher selectivity, Benefits for Our Industry and Our throughput, and economic competitiveness Nation As an alternative to thermal cracking, Ethylene is an important building block This technique has not yet been implemented oxydehydrogenation will save more than 640 in the production of many common and because of high capital investment in existing trillion British thermal units (Btu) per year commercially important materials, such as equipment and techniques. while reducing emissions of many pollutants. plastics and chemicals. Currently, ethylene is This project seeks to develop catalysts that New ethylene plants will save 50 percent in produced in a highly energy-intensive two-step will enable direct production of ethylene capital costs over plants installing cracking process. Ethane is firstrecovered from natural by the oxydehydrogenation of crude ethane furnaces. gas and streams through catalytic found in . This cracking and hydrocracking processes, and will offer high selectivity and throughput of then it is thermally cracked in the presence of ethylene from ethane-concentrated gas streams steam to produce ethylene. A more efficient in addition to saving energy and reducing Applications in Our Nation’s but not yet commercialized alternative to emissions. It will also lower capital costs this method is catalytic oxydehydrogenation, Industry through the use crude ethane, which is cheaper which directly produces ethylene from crude than ethane purified through other processes. Catalytic oxydehydrogenation will find ethane found in natural gas in a single step. immediate application in the industry, which uses ethylene as a primary

O2 feedstock for manufacturing plastics and Ethane- Depleted C B chemicals. Downstream benefits will also Natural Gas be reflected in industries utilizing these Catalytic Catalytic products. Methane Oxy- Homologation Dehydrogenation Natural Gas Ethane Ethylene (CH4 + enrichment 3 Mol.% Temperature swing C2H6+ higher adsorption CO2 CnH2n+2) A CO Catalytic Oxy- dehydrogenation at Low Ethane-Rich (~6-10 Mol. %) Ethane concentration Natural Gas

D O2

Schematic of the catalytic oxydehydrogenation processes for ethylene production from natural gas. The research challenge is to discover catalysts A, B, C, and D that would possess desired characteristics to make the overall process economically competitive with existing processes.

Boosting the and competitiveness of U.S. industry through improvements and environmental performance Project Description Progress and Milestones Project Partners

The overall objective of this project is to • Year 1 – Synthesis and evaluation of Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN develop, synthesize, and test catalyst(s) that baseline catalysts. (Vinod K. Sikka: [email protected]) will enable higher selectivity and throughput • Year 2 – Identification of new potential of the direct production of ethylene from crude C3 International catalytic structures using molecular ethane. Alpharetta, GA modeling methods. Chemical Alliance Zone • Year 3 – Synthesis of new catalysts based Charleston, WV Barriers on molecular modeling results; picking the catalysts with the highest selectivity Dow Chemical Company • Verifying successful results of the and throughput for optimizing design for Charleston, WV molecular modeling design of the catalysts scale-up. Energy Industries of Ohio • Ensuring that the catalysts meet selectivity • Year 4 – Testing of the scaled-up catalysts Cleveland, OH and throughput requirements for long-term stability. Engelhard Corp. • Validating the catalysts’ stability over an Cleveland, OH extended of time in commercial use Equistar For aditional information, please Wilmington, MA contact: Pathways Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. Houston, TX Dickson Ozokwelu The objectives of this project will be achieved MATRIC through (1) designing catalysts using knowledge Industrial Technologies Program Charleston, WV of existing structures and with an integrated U.S. Department of Energy systems-level approach that considers how Rampant Technology Partners, LLC chemical process demands will affect catalyst 1000 Independence Ave., SW Charleston, WV performance; (2) synthesizing new potential Washington, D.C. 20585 Texas A&M catalysts using a state-of-the-art technique Phone: (202) 586-8501 College Station, TX permitting micro-engineering of many sites on/beneath the surface; (3) identifying structural Fax: (202) 586-9234 changes when the catalysts are exposed to [email protected] chemical reaction with advanced in-situ characterization techniques; (4) evaluating overall performance of the catalysts with a rapid, automated screening technique; (5) making a final selection of appropriate catalyst(s). A Strong Energy Portfolio for a Strong America Energy efficiency and clean, will mean a stronger economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy independence for America. Working with a wide array of state, community, industry, and university partners, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in a diverse portfolio of energy technologies.

August 2006

For more information, visit www.eere.energy.gov/industry or call 1-877-337-3463