A Texas company has developed gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology designed to convert methane to ethylene without using the Fischer Tropsch (FT) process. The firm says that its GTL system can perform at a level of efficiency rivaling conventional methane conversion technologies.
“Our focus is actually on monetizing abundant, remote or flared gas,” said Edward Peterson, Chief Engineer with Dallas-based Synfuels International.
“Synfuels technology is useful whenever we can access low-value gas to make high-value products,” continued Peterson.
“We can offer a service … to ‘handle’ gas by converting it into gasoline and blending it back into the crude. We can process dry gas, which contains little C2+ [heavier hydrocarbons], into gasoline and make a valuable and easily transported liquid. When the local market is advanced and there are ethylene converters nearby, even relatively high gas prices will lead to a profitable gas to ethylene [GTE] facility.”