Air Liquide and ExxonMobil today announced a partnership to transform natural gas into ultra-low sulfur gasoline.
Under the terms of the agreement, Air Liquide will market and license its proven Lurgi MegaMethanol technology combined with ExxonMobil’s proprietary methanol-to-gasoline technology to make the motor gasoline, which will be marketed under the trademark G2G.
G2G transforms natural gas, as well as other feedstocks, into motor gasoline containing virtually no sulfur and low in benzene content. G2G will be deployed globally through Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions’ network.
As a technology licensor for world-scale methanol units, Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions has signed nearly 20 licenses for its Lurgi MegaMethanol technology since the year 2000, with acceleration over the last 18 months, much of it in the United States where natural gas prices are advantageous.
ExxonMobil’s first plant using the methanol-to-gasoline technology operated in New Zealand from 1985 until 1995. A second facility using Exxon’s technology has been in operation in China since 2009, and a third facility is currently under construction, also in China.
