Germany – OMV has commissioned new ISO C4 plant at the Burghausen site, based on a technology developed jointly by BASF and OMV.
The plant’s exceptional energy efficiency saves 20,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. Up to 80% of the heating energy required for the new process can be met by thermal discharge from an existing associated facility thanks to a heat integration approach.
Isobutene production
The energy-efficient process for the production of isobutene, achieving up to 99.9 % purity, was developed in cooperation between BASF and OMV and a worldwide patent application was filed jointly by the two companies. BASF provides the catalyst and reaction concept that intrinsically fulfills all process requirements by OMV. The new unit for the production of high-purity isobutene, which does not need chemical conversion of isobutene, has been integrated into the existing metathesis plant at OMV’s Burghausen site. The plant’s production capacity is 60,000 t/a.
High investment
Investment volume of this largescale project including auxiliary facilities was EUR 64 million. Recognizing its superior energy efficiency and contribution to CO2 reduction, Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Environment subsidized EUR 2.8 million towards the ISO C4 plant as part of its environmental innovation program. Construction on the plant had started in the summer of 2019.
