Oxidative Coupling of Methane followed by Oligome-

rization to Liquids: Towards sustainable production of

high quality fuels and petrochemicals

As the global energy demand and crude oil price rise, alternative production routes for the same hydrocarbon products are becoming more and more
economically attractive. In this respect, synthetic fuels created from natural gas offer now an alternative to the traditional fuel supply mix.
The OCMOL project aims at developing an innovative chemical route adapted to the exploitation of small gas reservoirs from both a technical and economic
point of view. The corresponding process is, among others, based on oxidative coupling of methane followed by its subsequent oligomerization to liquids.

OCMOL Objectives OCMOL workplan

The general objectives of OCMOL are twofold: The OCMOL project has been structured in 9 sub-projects (SPs), including 4
transversals SPs. As a result of the industrial approach most of the SPs are led
1. Process intensification via cutting-edge micro reactor technologies. This will by industrial partners in order to give an industrial framework to the expertise of
enable to skip the expensive scale-up stage to provide a proof of concept of the the scientific partners.
OCMOL liquefaction route and allow companies to make go/no go decisions
2. To develop a fully integrated process, which will be self-sufficient through the TRANSVERSAL TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT TRANSVERSAL
re-use and the recycling of by-products, in particular CO2 ACTIVITIES SP1: Methane SP2: Separation
SP3: Syngas to liquids SP4: Oligomerization
ACTIVITIES
SP6: Toolkit for materials conversion (OCM & RM) processes
Leader: BTS Leader: ENI Leader: HTAS Leader: CEPSA SP8: Non S/T Activities
and reactor design
Leader: UGENT
Leader: JM

The OCMOL process SP7: Process engineering

and economic evaluation
Leader: LE
SP5: Process integration
Leader: HTAS
SP9: Project
Management
Leader: ALMA
DEMONSTRATION
Major technological challenges are addressed in the fields of methane oxidative
coupling, ethylene oligomerization, membrane/PSA separation, methane dry
reforming, oxygenate synthesis and oxygenate to liquids conversion.

CO, H2 Perspectives
Oxygenate Oxygenate Liquid
synthesis to liquids The innovative OCMOL process will allow the conversion of natural gas into
RM reactor fuels
high-quality, cleaner and more flexible energy carriers that will have various
Step 3
Autothermal applications:
coupling
Ethylene
Energy market (gasoline, kerosene, diesel, heating oil, additives…)
CH4 Liquid
OCM reactor Separation oligomerization Petrochemical/polymer market (ethylene and linear α-olefins)
O2 C2H4 reactor fuels Environmental market (sulphur free fuels)
Step 1 Step 2 Step 4

OCM (Oxidative Coupling of Methane) and RM (Reforming of Methane)

Expertises brought
The OCMOL consortium by the OCMOL partners
The OCMOL project brings together 17 partners from different countries and with Expertises brought by the OCMOL partners
different expertise in a competitive consortium. End-user: INEOS
Process integrator: HTAS, LINDE
Process developer: CEPSA, BTS
• HTAS • SINTEF
• UIO
• UGENT
• INEOS Process demonstration and integration
OCM & dry reforming Separation unit Syngas to liquid Oligomerization
• JM • BIC BTS, IMM, IRCE SINTEF, ENI HTAS CEPSA, CSIC-ITQ
• CAM

Nanostructured catalyst development

• IRCE
and novel reactor design
IRCE
• ALMA
ALMA OCM & dry reforming Separation Syngas to liquid Oligomerization
Catalysts: JM, IRCE, Sorbent materials: Syngas to Catalysts: CSIC-ITQ, JM,
• BTS
RUB, CAM, BIC IRCE oxygenates: HTAS IRCE, ENI, CAM
• RUB Kinetics: UGENT, RUB, PSA/membrane: Oxygenate to Kinetics: UGENT,
• LE CAM, BIC SINTEF, ENI, BIC liquids: HTAS, UIO, CSIC-ITQ, CAM
• CSIC-ITQ
• IMM Reactor: BTS, IRCE, IMM Testing: ENI, SINTEF UGENT Reactor: CEPSA, CSIC-ITQ
• CEPSA
ENI
• ENI

The OCMOL project is supported by the European Commission through the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development
with up to 7.5 Mio €, out of a total budget of 11.5 Mio €. This 5 year project will run from 1st September 2009 to 31st August 2014