Sulzer GTC Technology has signed an agreement with JSC SIBUR-Neftehim (SIBUR) to provide its licensed pyrolysis gasoline (pygas) processing technologies, including design of the fractionation, first and second stage hydrotreating, aromatics extraction and thermal hydrodealkylation technologies for the modernization of a benzene production facility at SIBUR’s Kstovo olefins production plant near Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia. 

The modernized facility will serve as a hub for processing full range pygas from several SIBUR facilities, allow production of high-purity benzene with the lowest cash cost, and recover non-aromatics to be used as cracker feed. Sulzer GTC will design a new GT-BTX unit as well as revamp the existing pygas fractionation; first and second stage hydrotreating; and the thermal hydrodealkylation unit to process additional feed.  Scope of supply includes the basic engineering package, technical services, proprietary catalyst, solvent and equipment. 

“We are pleased to work with such a prestigious company as SIBUR to provide effective solutions for producing aromatics from pyrolysis gasoline and modernizing olefins production complexes,” said Ilya L. Aranovich, Sulzer GTC Director of Licensing, North America, Europe, and CIS Countries. He added, “We are excited to extend our track record of providing leading-edge solutions to improve the economics of naphtha-based crackers for clients in the CIS region and around the world.”

Sulzer GTC Technology, based in Houston, Texas, is a global licensor of refinery and petrochemical process technologies that offers a variety of approaches for managing aromatics and other high value added molecules in petrochemical complexes. These technologies include the GT-BTX® Extractive Distillation process for recovery of aromatics; GT-Styrene® Extractive Distillation process for recovery of styrene monomer, GT-C5SM Extractive Distillation process for recovery of isoprene, piperylenes and DCPD, GT-TolAlkSM/GT-TransAlkSM – alkylation/transalkylation of toluene to produce mixed xylenes; and others.