MTG technology

News

Synthesis Energy Systems has struck a deal with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company to utilise up to 15 Methanol to Gasoline technology licences throughout its international operations.

Synthesis Energy Systems

(SES) has made a deal with

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company

(EMRE) to utilise up to 15 methanol to gasoline (MTG) technology licences throughout its international operations.

The MTG technology works by converting crude methanol to low sulphur and low benzene gasoline. The gas can then be used in this form or be combined with refinery gas.

The process typically uses methanol obtained from natural gas. However, the same technology can potentially convert methanol from other sources, including coal, petcoke and biomass.

The SES programmes will produce synthetic gas from coal and use the MTG process to convert the methanol to gasoline. Using coal in this way greatly reduces SOx emissions and other potential pollutants.

SES hopes to convert coal to more valuable products by investing in projects close to coal sources that have a lower capital cost. The projects will gasify the coal, extract the methanol from synthetic gas, and then convert the methanol to gasoline via the MTG process.

The first licence for the technology will be given to a project in West Virginia. The estimated 7,000 daily barrel unit will include improvements to the original commercial design of MTG technology unveiled by ExxonMobil 20 years ago.