Exelus Develops Gas to Alkylate Process

摘要

Exelus, Inc. has developed 'M2Alk', a step-out process for the production of alkylate (a high-octane gasoline blendstock) from natural gas derived feedstocks such as methanol and mixed butanes. As car makers move towards higher-compression engines in anticipation of more stringent U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, more alkylate will be needed in the domestic gasoline pool to fuel those higher performance vehicles, Exelus stated. The M2Alk process combines butanes, a cheap natural gas liquid (NGL) prevalent in U.S. shale plays, and methanol to generate olefins which are then reacted with iso-butane to produce premium quality alkylate. As shale gas development spreads globally, the Exelus technology will help fill the need for clean alkylate everywhere.