Linde GmbH and Shell announced an exclusive collaboration agreement on ethane-oxidative dehydrogenation (E-ODH) technology for ethylene production. The catalytic process is an alternative route to ethane steam cracking, offering the potential of economic advantages, acetic acid co-production and significantly lower overall carbon footprint through electrification of power input.

Ethylene is widely used in the chemical industry; its worldwide production exceeds that of any other organic compound. Ethylene is the raw material used in the manufacture of polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS) as well as fibers and other organic chemicals.

These products are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer markets such as the packaging, transportation, electrical/electronic, textile and construction industries as well as consumer chemicals, coatings and adhesives.

The two companies have been developing E-ODH independently for many years; this new collaboration brings together their complementary patent positions and expert know-how. The agreement will enable accelerated deployment of this novel technology across the wider chemicals sector, with Linde marketing to customers under the name EDHOX.

With the EDHOX process, we have not only developed a cost-efficient alternative but are also providing the petrochemical industry with a low-emission process. For decades, we have been actively developing technologies for more sustainability in this industry—from efficiency improvements to carbon management and new process routes. We are convinced that Linde’s EDHOX technology position will be strengthened by Shell’s intellectual property and know-how in this area.

—John van der Velden, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Technology at Linde Engineering

The EDHOX technology was successfully validated for commercial use in a demonstration plant at Pullach, Germany. The process is suitable for ethylene producers as well as industrial customers who need both ethylene and acetic acid to produce chemicals such as vinyl acetate monomer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and polyvinyl alcohol products.

As a further advantage, the pure CO₂ stream extracted is suitable for further downstream processes or storage. The EDHOX process can also be combined with other Linde technologies, such as the FlexASU process for the flexible production of gases or liquefied gases such as oxygen or it can increase the capacity of steam crackers with potential CO₂ reduction.