ExxonMobil and Georgia Tech Innovation Could Lead to Significant Cuts in Chemical Manufacturing Energy Use and Emissions
18 Août 2016 - 8:00PM
Business Wire
- Molecular-level filter could
revolutionize energy-intense chemical process
- Significantly reduces amount of energy
used in polyester and plastic manufacturing
- Research published in nation’s leading
peer-reviewed journal, Science
Scientists from ExxonMobil and the Georgia Institute of
Technology have developed a potentially revolutionary new
technology that could significantly reduce the amount of energy and
emissions associated with manufacturing plastics. Results of the
research were published today in the peer-reviewed journal
Science.
If brought to industrial scale, this breakthrough could reduce
industry’s global annual carbon dioxide emissions by up to 45
million tons, which is equivalent to the annual energy-related
carbon dioxide emissions of about five million U.S. homes. It could
also reduce global energy costs used to make plastics by up to $2
billion a year.
Using a molecular-level filter, the new process employs a form
of reverse osmosis to separate para-xylene, a chemical building
block for polyester and plastics, from complex hydrocarbon
mixtures. The current commercial-scale process used around the
world relies on energy and heat to separate those molecules.
“Through collaboration with strong academic institutions like
Georgia Tech, we are constantly exploring new, more efficient ways
to produce the energy, chemicals, and other products consumers
around the world rely on every day," said Vijay Swarup, vice
president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and
Engineering Company. “If advanced to commercial-scale application,
this technology could significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse
gas emissions associated with chemical manufacturing.”
The research successfully demonstrated that para-xylene can be
separated from like chemical compounds known as aromatics by
pressing them through a membrane that acts as a high-tech sieve,
similar to a filter with microscopic holes. Commercially practiced
separations involve energy-intensive crystallization or adsorption
with distillation. Globally, the amount of energy used in
conventional separation processes for aromatics is equal to about
20 average-sized power plants.
The ExxonMobil and Georgia Tech team first developed a new
carbon-based membrane that can separate molecules as small as a
nanometer. The membrane was then incorporated into a new organic
solvent reverse osmosis process, during which aromatics were
pressed through the membrane, separating out para-xylene.
"In effect, we’d be using a filter with microscopic holes to do
what an enormous amount of heat and energy currently do in a
chemical process similar to that found in oil refining,” said Mike
Kerby, corporate strategic research manager at ExxonMobil.
The carbon-based membrane developed by the ExxonMobil-Georgia
Tech team is about 50 times more energy efficient than the current
state-of-the-art membrane separation technology. Because the new
membrane is made from a commercially available polymer, ExxonMobil
believes it has potential for commercialization and integration
into industrial chemical separation processes.
Reverse-osmosis membranes are already widely used to desalinate
seawater, consuming a fraction of the energy required by thermally
driven processes. The new organic solvent reverse osmosis process
is believed to be the first use of reverse osmosis with carbon
membranes to separate liquid hydrocarbons.
“By applying pressure at room temperature, the membrane is able
to concentrate para-xylene from a mixture at high rates and low
energy consumption relative to state-of-the-art membranes,” said
Ryan Lively, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and the lead researcher.
“This mixture could then be fed into a conventional thermal process
for finishing, which would dramatically reduce total energy
input.”
The technology still faces challenges before it can be
considered for commercialization and use at an industrial scale.
The membranes used in the process will need to be tested under more
challenging conditions, as industrial mixtures normally contain
multiple organic compounds and may include materials that can foul
membrane systems. The researchers must also learn to make the
material consistently and demonstrate that it can withstand
long-term industrial use.
“The implications could be enormous in terms of the amount of
energy that could be saved and the emissions reduced in chemical
and product manufacturing,” said Benjamin McCool, an advanced
research associate at ExxonMobil and co-author of the research.
“Our next steps are to further the fundamental understanding in the
lab to help develop a plan for pilot plant-scale demonstration and,
if successful, proceed to larger scale. We continue to work the
fundamental science underlying this technology for broader
applications in hydrocarbon separations.”
Chemical plants account for about eight percent of global energy
demand and about 15 percent of the projected growth in demand to
2040. As global populations and living standards continue to rise,
demand for auto parts, housing materials, electronics and other
products made from plastics and other petrochemicals will continue
to grow. Improving industrial efficiency is part of ExxonMobil’s
mission to meet the world’s growing need for energy while
minimizing environmental impacts.
The researchers on the technology as written in Science include
Lively and Dong-Yeun Koh from Georgia Institute of Technology and
McCool and Harry Deckman from ExxonMobil.
About ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and
gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the
world’s growing energy needs. We hold an industry-leading inventory
of resources and are one of the largest integrated refiners,
marketers of petroleum products and chemical manufacturers. For
more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com or follow us on Twitter
www.twitter.com/exxonmobil.
Cautionary Statement: Statements of
future events or conditions in this release are forward-looking
statements. Actual future results, including project plans and
timing and the impact and results of new technologies, could vary
depending on the outcome of further research and testing; the
development and competitiveness of alternative technologies; the
ability to scale pilot projects on a cost-effective basis;
political and regulatory developments; and other factors discussed
in this release and under the heading “Factors Affecting Future
Results” on the Investors page of ExxonMobil’s website at
exxonmobil.com.
About Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, located in Atlanta,
Georgia, is a leading research university committed to improving
the human condition through advanced science and technology. As a
leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100
centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently
contribute vital research and innovation to American government,
industry, and business. For more information, visit
www.gatech.edu.
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