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NEXT-GTL - European Project aims at conversion of natural gas to liquid fuels

Since 2001 the proven world gas reserves have overcome those of oil to reach nearly 1200 Billion BOE (Barrel of oil equivalent), i.e. over 185 TSCM (thousand billion standard cubic meters). The total amount of "Stranded Gas Reserves", the part which is currently not competitively exploitable, has been estimated to be about 70 TSCM, about 40% of the gas proven reserves. Such an amount could, if converted to synthetic fuels, generate around 250 billion barrels of synthetic oil, a quantity equal to one third of Middle Est's proven oil reserves.

This is the vision of the EU project NEXT-GTL* says Gabriele Centi, Professor at the Dept. of Industrial Chemistry and Engineering of Materials at University of Messina and Coordinator of the project. This large scale project in Europe's seventh framework programme, with 23 industrial and academic partners from 12 countries and a budget of 12.5 Mio Euro addresses main cost drivers and technical barriers of the conventional routes from gas to liquids (GTL).

The main objectives are:

to reduce the cost and energy consumption of production of synthetic gas (a major process step in the conversion of gas to liquid fuels), and overcome the stability related barriers in using catalysts in this process;
to develop GTL technologies suitable for small-medium scale productions in remote natural gas areas;
to develop processes for producing liquid fuels which can be blended in both gasoline and diesel pools, or which may be used for chemical purposes.

Energy and cost-efficient processes are a main feature of the solutions envisioned by NEXT-GTL. The project aims at advanced low-temperature catalytic routes and reactor concepts with integrated membranes for O2, H2 and CO2 separation. Three development lines will investigate advanced routes for catalytic syngas formation with integrated membrane separations, the direct conversion of methane to methanol or dimethylether, a very attractive synthetic transportation fuel, and finally the direct conversion of methane to aromatics, followed by upgrading of the products by alkylation with ethane/propane.

The consortium partners in the four year research programme started 1st of November 2009 comprise leading companies and research groups, with core competences in catalysis, membranes and reaction engineering. The major industrial partners are Air Liquide (France), BASF (Germany), Bayer Technology Services (Germany) and ENI (Italy).

*Innovative Catalytic Technologies & Materials for Next Gas to Liquid Processes