EDHOXTM Technology
Energy-Efficient Path to Ethylene
Linde’s EDHOX technology is designed to overcome the energy intensity challenges involved in conventional paths to light olefins such as ethylene. Steam cracking, for example, requires furnace process temperatures up to 870°C. Based on the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane, EDHOX operates at temperatures of 400°C or even lower, reducing investment and ethylene production costs. Furthermore, this high-performance solution offers the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions compared with conventional ethane steam cracking technology.
EDHOX is the superior route for ethylene producers and is the ideal choice for processes requiring both ethylene and acetic acid, such as VAM (vinyl acetate monomer), EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) copolymer, PVOH (polyvinyl alcohol) products, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), ethyl acetate and similar derivatives.
How Does Oxidative Dehydrogenation Work?
EDHOX is an on-purpose catalytic technology that converts ethane into ethylene and acetic acid under mild conditions in a multitubular reactor with commercial-size single tubes. This safe, reliable exothermic oxidative process requires less energy than current state-of-the-art technologies.
The typical EDHOX setup includes a reaction section, a separation/purification step and closed-loop operation to recycle ethane. EDHOX provides downstream processes directly with ethylene and acetic acid. The combined ethylene and acetic acid yield is notably high, with overall selectivity above 93%. This oxidative dehydrogenation process also recovers a significant portion of the CO2 produced as a pure by-product (for carbon capture, utilization and storage, CCUS).
EDHOX: Zero Scope 1 and 2 CO2 Emissions
- Lower direct CO2 emissions (Scope 1) compared with ethane steam cracker (E-SC) using conventional energy
- Purified CO2 by-product for storage and downstream processing
- Low-cost route to achieve zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions using renewable energy
How Can EDHOX Benefit Your Ethane Operations?
- Lower investment costs relative to an ethane steam cracker
- Decreased production cost and additional return on investment (ROI) due to acetic acid co-production
- Investment and operating cost savings when EDHOX is integrated with downstream technologies with ethylene and acetic acid feeds
- Adaptable range of acetic acid/ethylene ratios
- Production flexibility with easy adaptability to lower capacities (e.g. 60%)
- Adaptable to renewable energy fluctuations through integration with FLEXASU® to store liquid oxygen
- Higher potential for reduction of CO2 emissions than ethane steam cracking, mitigating economic risks linked to emission taxes and supporting transition to a greener economy