Aither, Bayer mull possible catalytic ethane cracker in West Virginia
Aither Chemicals signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bayer MaterialScience to launch an open season for ethylene from a potential catalytic ethane cracker in the Kanawha Valley region of West Virginia.
Aither’s agreement with Bayer includes a non-binding open season to determine market interest for chemicals and plastics that would be produced by such a cracker, the companies said.
Specific details of the partnership were not disclosed. Bayer's property in Institute, W. Va., will be evaluated as a potential site for the plant, according to media reports.
Products from the cracker could include ethylene, acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide for sale at market pricing or use in making downstream derivatives and other products such as ethylene oxide (EO), the companies said.
As part of the agreement, Bayer is to assist in the effort to evaluate third-party interest in the chemical, Aither said in a news release.
Several ethane suppliers have expressed interest in supplying ethane to the project, according to the company.
The open season will run from June 22 through July 20.
After that, Aither says it will evaluate the market’s response and decide on next steps by August 30. If Aither decides to proceed with the proposed cracker, production could begin in early 2015, the company said.
“The memorandum of understanding is a first step towards building a catalytic ethane cracker in the Kanawha Valley region and we are optimistic that the market will respond,” said Aither CEO Leonard Dolhert.
Aither Chemicals says it has the proprietary, scalable technology to crack ethane and convert it into other products.
Aither’s technology was developed to take better advantage of ethane from shale gas, and to simultaneously lower the cost of producing ethylene, acetic acid, ethylene derivatives and/or acetic acid derivatives and other chemicals and plastics, the company said.
Unlike steam cracking, which uses heat and steam to crack ethane, Aither’s process is a catalytic cracking process that uses 80% less energy and produces 90% less carbon dioxide (CO2) output, it says.
Much of that CO2 and/or CO output can be captured as a pure gas and utilized for the manufacturing of chemical and polymer products or used in other applications.
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