Linde starts up units to support MEGlobal’s Texas petrochemical plant

Linde PLC has commissioned a new air separation unit (ASU) in Freeport, Tex., as part of a long-term agreement to supply MEGlobal Americas Inc.’s new monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant at Dow Chemical Co.’s Oyster Creek petrochemical complex in Freeport (OGJ Online, Oct. 14, 2019).

Alongside supplying oxygen and nitrogen to MEGlobal Oyster Creek for use in its MEG manufacturing process, the new ASU also will supply Linde's industrial gas pipeline system, adding new argon capacity, Linde said.

In addition to the ASU, Linde started a new carbon dioxide (CO₂) plant in Freeport that will recycle crude CO₂ supplied from an unidentified MEGlobal process.

The crude CO₂ will be purified and liquefied into commercial grades to serve customers in a variety of industries, including food and beverage, where it is used to carbonate drinks, as well as to freeze, chill, preserve, and package food, the service provider said.

"The new ASU and the expansion of our [US] Gulf Coast pipeline system further strengthen Linde's ability to reliably supply customers throughout the region and positions us for future growth in the USGC," said Jeff Barnhard, Linde’s vice-president for the US South region.

The service provider disclosed no details regarding capacities of either the ASU or CO₂ plant.

MEGlobal Americas—a subsidiary of Equate Petrochemical Co. of Kuwait’s Dubai-based MEGlobal International FZE—officially began production at its 750,000-tonne/year MEG plant on Oct. 14, 2019, as part of MEGlobal’s program to create greater flexibility to satisfy growing demand for ethylene glycol products in the US and Asia-Pacific markets, as well as its strategy to expand the company’s global footprint (OGJ Online, Sept. 12, 2019).

Equate Petrochemical is an international JV of Kuwait’s state-owned Petrochemical Industries Co., 42.5%; Dow, 42.5%; Boubyan Petrochemical Co., 9%; and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Co., 6%.