Braskem & CMS Begin Pilot Demonstration to Boost Olefin Production Efficiency

TAGS:  Additives for Packaging      Sustainability / Natural Solutions    

Braskem and Compact Membrane Systems Inc., (CMS) announce that the long awaited pilot demonstration of CMS's Optiperm^TM technology for light olefin paraffin separation has started up at Braskem's Marcus Hook facility.

Optiperm^TM , CMS's breakthrough membrane technology, is designed to increase olefin production efficiency while decreasing waste streams, lowering carbon emissions, and reducing total energy usage.

Energy-efficient Recovery Process

The modular nature of membranes allows olefin recovery from small and large process streams alike, debottlenecking processes and leveraging existing infrastructure in a more energy-efficient manner.

CMS and Braskem recognize that capturing olefins from unused hydrocarbon process streams is essential to decreasing environmental impact while continuing to create the chemical building blocks for plastic resins and chemical products for diverse customer segments, such as healthcare and hygiene, food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, among others.

Successful demonstration paves the way for the roll out of Optiperm^TM, in olefins applications as well point source carbon capture for SMRs, steel, cement and other decarbonization applications.

This project will address the critical milestones of simultaneously producing high purity (>90%) paraffin and olefin rich streams with a multistage membrane design. The design is a replica of the design with membrane areas balanced between two stages and a full control system to meet stream purity specs.

The rig itself was built by Zeton. The pilot has been deployed at Braskem's Marcus Hook facility and will be operated for a period of 500 days.

First Demonstration of Full-scale Commercial Membrane Module

This is the largest demonstration of the Optiperm^TM platform to date and includes commercial sized modules. Previously, CMS has demonstrated the stability of small-scale membranes. This will be the first demonstration that includes CMS's proprietary humidification design and a full-scale commercial membrane module produced at an industrial scale manufacturing facility.

"Braskem believes that investing in the advancement of technology is a leading factor in the search for a more sustainable future" says Kevin Soucy, technology improvements manager, Braskem. "The successful startup of this pilot supports our commitments to the circular economy.”

"The team is delighted that this pilot unit is up and running. Optiperm^TM olefins technology is an important part of our industrial decarbonization portfolio, validating for our customers that CMS technology can enable their business performance and GHG reduction goals. Placing commercial scale cartridges into the field is a major milestone for us and for the planet." says CMS CEO Erica Nemser.

Source: Braskem