Olefins from methanol

Total Petrochemicals has started up its MTO (Methanol-to-Olefins) project in its research center in Feluy, Belgium. The 45 million euro MTO plant inaugurated in October 2008 combines an Olefin Cracking Process (OCP) that is integrated in the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology. The MTO process converts methanol into ethylene and propylene as well as heavy olefins. The OCP technology uses a catalytic process to convert the heavy olefins into additional ethylene and propylene. The combined effluents can be converted into polyolefins at the nearby polymerization unit. The process is particularly attractive in a world where polypropylene demand growth is strong because approximately 60% of the olefins output from the production line is propylene.