Axens (Rueill-Malmaison, France; www.axens.net) has signed an AlphaButol technology licensing agreement with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (Socar) for the production of high-purity 1-butene through ethylene dimerization.
The AlphaButol unit will have capacity of 32,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), and will be installed in Garadagh, located just south of Baku, in Azerbaijan and will be part of Socar’s large GPC project.
The GPC project is a totally integrated grassroots project, from natural-gas-processing to the production of high-value polymers through the inclusion of an entire petrochemical complex. The plant will produce approximately 600,000 m.t./yr of polyethylene and 120,000 m.t./yr of propylene.
“We are very pleased to be part of SOCAR GPC project with the AlphaButol technology. This is a reliable and cost effective process that has a long and successful track record. After several recent clean fuels refining projects that we have conducted with SOCAR, it is now a great opportunity to contribute to the success of the GPC project with a technology for the production of high quality 1-Butene” said Christian Dupraz, Axens’ Senior Executive Vice-President, Process Licensing.