Linde, Siluria partner on ethylene technologies

Siluria Technologies, a pioneer in the commercial production of fuels and chemicals made from natural gas, has entered into a collaboration agreement with gases and engineering company The Linde Group.

The primary objective of the agreement is to combine each company's technologies and expertise into an optimized and integrated package, which Linde would license to the petrochemicals industry for both revamps or expansions at existing ethylene plants and for new world-scale ethylene plants.

"We are extremely pleased to enter into this partnership," said Andrea Redford, director of EPC partnering and capital projects at Siluria. "Linde is clearly one of the leading technology and EPC service providers to the global ethylene industry. This partnership strengthens our technology platform and enables a world class go-to-market licensing strategy."

Over the past six months, Linde says it has completed a technical and economic diligence process on Siluria's oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) technology, which catalytically converts methane directly to ethylene. The success of this joint diligence effort resulted in the formation of this partnership.

The companies have formed joint teams, which will fully integrate the company's respective technologies and collaborate through the final scale-up and demonstration of the OCM technology at the previously announced demonstration plant that Siluria is constructing at Braskem's site in La Porte, Texas

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"Our technology platform can enable a diverse set of opportunities ranging from solutions to flared gas, to large-scale gas monetization, to specific industry applications such as refining and LNG terminals," said Ed Dineen, CEO of Siluria Technologies. "However, our top two priorities are the ethylene industry and the Midstream or gas processing industry. So establishing this partnership with the top technology provider in the ethylene business at such an important time in the industry is a great fit for us.

"We look forward to a mutually highly beneficial long term partnership with Linde."

The companies expect to offer the technologies to the broader ethylene industry in the second half of 2015. Siluria is currently engaged in feasibility studies with selected operating companies in the ethylene industry focused on the initial commercial deployments. 

"For Linde this exciting technology opens new business opportunities and is another contributor to our leading position in olefin technologies," said Dr. Samir Serhan, managing director of Linde's engineering division.