An Alternative Route for Coal to Liquids:

Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) Technology

Max Heinritz-Adrian / Uhde GmbH, Germany

Adrian Brandl / Uhde GmbH, Germany

Max Hooper / Uhde Corporation of America

Xinjin Zhao / EMRE, U.S.A.

Samuel A. Tabak / EMRE, U.S.A.

Presented at the Gasification Technologies Conference

17th October, 2007

Hyatt Regency Hotel, San Francisco, CA

An Alternative Route for Coal to Liquids:

Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) Technology

AGENDA

1. Introduction

2. MTG Principles

3. Fixed-Bed MTG

4. New Zealand Synfuels Plant

5. Coal to Gasoline Concept

6. Fluidized Bed MTG

7. Conclusion

Routes to Synthetic Transportation Fuels: FT, MTG

SynGasGeneration

Methanol toGasoline (MTG)Steam

Natural GasCoal

BioMass

• Both are 3 Step Process

• Thermal Efficiencies are Essentially Governed by ThermalEfficiencies of the Syngas Production Process and Feed

PrimarilyGasoline

FischerFischer

TropschTropsch

Methanol

Synthesis

ProductProduct

Work-upWork-upPrimarily

Diesel

100100100

0.151Oxygenates

-546Heavy Oil/Wax

-1622Gasoil/Distillate

82.33619C5 - 160C

10.911Butane

1.192Butylenes

4.321Propane

0.2112Propylene

0.431Ethane

-40Ethylene

0.785Methane

MTGCompound

Comparison of Fischer Tropsch with MTG

Low Temp FT*

Co Catalyst @428F

High Temp FT*

Fe Catalyst@644F

* Steyberg & Dry, “Fischer Tropsch Technology”, Elsevier, 2004 (All FT yields are prior to refining for gasoline octane ,and diesel pour point improvement)

** Final plant product with gasoline Octane 92 R+O

• Unique “Shape Selective” chemistry discovered in the early 1970’s

• Major Challenge – Make marketable gasoline

• Development by Mobil (now ExxonMobil) through the 70’s on a variety ofprocess options

– Pilot operations up to 4 bpd in the US

– Pilot operations up to 100 bpd in Germany (with Uhde): Fluidized-bed MTG

and MTO between 1982-1985

• Decision by New Zealand Government in 1979 to build commercial 14,500bpd

plant in Motunui, NZ. Plant ownership 75% NZ Government/25% ExxonMobil

• Plant started up 1985 and operated successfully for ~10 years till conversion to

chemical grade Methanol production

• Contract for 100,000 mtpa MTG plant for JAM, Shanxi, China awarded to Uhde in

2006 - start-up of the plant expected in late 2008

MTG Scale-up and Development

Shape Selective Dehydration/Condensation of Methanol to Gasoline

MTG ProcessReaction Principle

Product ProductionPer 1000 tonnes MeOH

Gasoline 387

LPG 46

Fuel gas 7

Methanol

Water

Gasoline

Water 560

Recycled as process water

Typical Fixed-Bed MTG Product Quality

2005

Summer

2005

Winter

MTG

Gasoline

US

Regulation

China

Regulation

Oxygen(Wt%) 0.95 1.08

API Gravity 58.4 61.9 61.8

Aromatics(%Vol) 27.7 24.7 26.5 40

Olefins(%Vol) 12 11.6 12.6 35

RVP(psi) 8.3 12.12 9

T50(F) 211.1 199.9 201

T90(F) 330.7 324.1 320

Sulfur(ppm) 106 97 0 30 800 (30)

Benzene(%Vol) 1.21 1.15 0.3 1 (0.62) 2.5 (1)

• MTG Gasoline is completely compatible with conventional gasolineinfrastructure.

• MTG Gasoline contains zero sulfur and low benzene contents.

Date Sources: US Average gasoline data from US EIA website.

New Zealand Synfuel Plant

75

80

85

90

95

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

ExpectedExpectedExpectedExpectedPlantPlantPlantPlant

New Zealand MTG Unit Gasoline Yield

Coal to Gasoline (CTG) via Fixed-Bed MTG

Gasification CO-Shift

Coal

Methanol Synthesis

Gas TurbineSteam Syst.

Gasoline

Power

Steam

Fuel Gas

MTGPlant

Acid GasRemoval

LPG

SulfurRec. Unit

Sulfur

Fuel Gas

Coal to Gasoline (CTG) via Fixed-Bed MTGOverall Mass Balance - 1,000,000 tpa Gasoline

CTG PlantCoal: ~420 t/hr

Gasoline: 3,000 t/d

27,570 bpd

LPG: 288 t/d

Sulfur(~10% ash)

CO2 (for EOR)

• JV MRDC, Uhde, URBK. Engineering by MRDC and Uhde

• Capacity 100 bpd gasoline

• Operated 1982/1984

• Heat removal systems :

- Catalysts circulated through an external cooler

- Internal heat exchanger pipes immersed in the dense bed

reactor

• Methanol conversion almost complete

• Gasoline yields reached 92%

Fluidized-Bed MTG Plant URBK Wesseling

Fluidized-Bed MTG Plant URBK WesselingFlow Scheme

Fluidized-Bed MTG Plant URBK WesselingMain Structure

− The continuous regeneration permits to hold the catalyst

activity constant at selected conditions

− The heat of reaction is removed efficiently by direct steamraising

− The lower pressure range reduces the power consumption butincreases the volume of the equipment

− MTO operation mode with downstream oligomerisation (OGD)allows for co-production of gasoline and diesel

Fluidized-Bed MTG TechnologyAdvantages

1. Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) is an effective route for coal toliquids processing

2. MTG is commercially fully proven and produces high qualitysynthetic transportation fuels

3. MTG is simple and robust in design and operation and allowshigh plant availabilities

4. MTG is available through license from ExxonMobil (EMRE) -Uhde co-operates closely as engineering partner with EMRE

Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) Technology

Conclusions