GasTechno Mini-GTL plant site diagram. Click to enlarge.

In conventional gas-to-liquids processes, natural gas is reformed into syngas, and then further converted into methanol and other liquid chemicals or fuels. The process is complex and requires high-maintenance catalysts and large economies of scale to be profitable.

The GasTechno process eliminates the syngas step and associated catalyst by converting methane directly into methanol via a patented direct homogenous partial oxidation process. The GasTechno system features an energy-neutral recycle loop where unreacted methane is scrubbed and recycled until the desired conversion is achieved. The carbon and thermal efficiencies of the resulting process are comparable to syngas-based technologies, according to the company.

Subject to certain assumptions, the process generates 6.2 gallons methanol, 5.1 gallons formalin and 0.4 gallons ethanol per 1 mscf of methane feedstock.

Because GasTechno uses no catalysts, it has a high tolerance for common contaminants in natural gas without costly pre-treatment. The process is relatively insensitive to nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and accepts sour gas without significant adverse effects. In almost all cases, from gas produced at biodigesters and landfills to associated gas flared at oil wells, the process accepts methane as-is, the company claims.

Equipped with its core process technology, and compressor system the plant converts up to 300,000 standard cubic feet of gas per day (scfd) and fits inside a conventional 40-foot shipping container. With further commercialization, the process scales up to 30 million scfd according to an independent third-party study cited by the company.

The GasTechno Mini-GTL process yields methanol as its primary alcohol. The company has been evaluating and developing processes for methanol-to-diesel (MTD); methanol-to-gasoline (MTG); methanol-to-jet fuel; methanol-to-olefins (MTO); glycols, amines, fertilizers and other bolt-on processes.

To provide early adopters of the GasTechno platform the lowest cost of entry, the company has announced a $250,000 basic engineering package (BES) to customers interested in monetizing flared or stranded gas assets. The BES is similar to a front end engineering design (FEED) package, but is less expensive and provides a basic economic study with recommendations for GasTechno bolt-on processing modules to ensure that the final product slate, whether it is chemicals, fuels or even fertilizer, provides the highest return on investment for the local market.