A solid chemicals technology base built up over many decades has given the Shell Group a powerful cutting edge. Maintaining that edge requires continuous improvement in existing processes and the development of the next generation technologies that will utilise new sources of feedstocks, at a lower cost, and with reduced environmental impact.
Technology is the key enabler to improve the performance of assets, to offer new and improved product formulations or supply chain solutions - it is what makes us different. I believe that in Shell we have good reason to be proud of a number of world-class technologies that we have developed in the past and also those that we are working on now.
Technology is not something you can switch on and off. You have to be selective in your areas of focus and remain committed to continuous innovation in those fields. You try things and may not always win, but you always learn something that helps you to try again.
We have been in some fields of refinery and chemicals process technology for many decades but I don't believe there is such a thing as 'old' technology. We have maintained a presence and commitment in these areas and they are still delivering value improvements today. If you don't continually invest in your technology, its value erodes and decays.
As one of Shell's Chief Scientists my role is to advise Shell businesses on where they should put their resources, making sure that our scientific research is relevant and focuses on technologies that are most likely to deliver improvements.
Challenges to resolve
Today, we may not be discovering new chemical molecules - there are not too many left to find that would complement our portfolio - but there are other big challenges technology can help resolve.
We want to improve existing products and processes - to deliver increased yields, higher product quality and lower water and energy consumption - and we have an overall objective to reduce the carbon footprint of our manufacturing activities.
We have been in the EO/G (ethylene oxide/glycols) business since the 1950s. Over the years we have made numerous improvements to our production by maintaining a commitment to the underlying catalysis and process technologies.
Our latest catalyst converts up to 90% of ethylene into EO during the production process - compared to about 80% with the previous generation of catalysts.
More efficient ethylene oxide production saves the chemical industry hundreds of millions of dollars. There are some environmental benefits, too, through lower carbon dioxide emissions.
We have used our experience in this field, together with some acquired technology, to commercialise and license the world's most efficient process for producing MEG (monoethylene glycol), a key building block for polyester fabrics and plastic bottles.
Our styrene monomer/propylene oxide (SM/PO) technology is also among the best in the world and we continue to develop options to maintain its position.
Step-by-step improvements have made the manufacturing process for these basic chemical building blocks - used in products ranging from styrofoam cups to car bumpers and mattresses - cleaner, more energy efficient and cheaper.
The latest SM/PO plants use 35% less energy for every tonne of chemicals produced, while air emissions have been cut by 90%, and virtually all the liquid and solid waste is recycled or reused.
These improvements make a significant contribution to conserving resources and protecting the environment.
Alternative feedstocks
Our technology drive is also linked to the fact that 'easy oil' is no longer readily available and we need to focus on the new challenges of unlocking alternative hydrocarbon resources and utilising more unconventional petrochemical feedstocks.
This is a challenging area, which can't be solved overnight. We have already made significant progress in developing our capability to utilise unconventional cracker feedstocks, including hydrowax and butane, in ethylene production.
We are also ahead of the game in some fundamental new processes, such as Gas to Liquids (GTL) and Coal to Liquids, that could open up new process routes to chemicals. Shell has been developing its GTL technology for over 30 years, gaining understanding of the chemistry at the molecular level and operational experience with the world's first commercial GTL plant. We stayed in this arena when others stopped or pulled out.
We are now confident in our GTL chemistry and catalysis technology and its commercial application. As a result we are currently involved in the building of the world's largest GTL plant in Qatar in the Middle East.
GTL will help to unlock the vast potential of the world's gas reserves. Its primary purpose is to convert natural gas into advanced, cleaner transport fuels but the core process offers many potential routes to other products including chemicals.
The Shell GTL process converts natural gas into synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which can be reacted with catalysts. These reactions convert the gas into liquid products including diesel fuels, naphtha and kerosene.
The technology is already capable of producing alcohols and solvents but synthesis gas can be reacted and converted in a number of different ways. It even has the potential to produce lower olefins - ethylene and propylene - and aromatics, the three products that are the basis of our chemicals portfolio.
Abundant resource
Natural gas is not the only source of synthesis gas - you can also apply the primary conversion phase of GTL to coal. Coal is still the world's most abundant fossil fuel - more than oil and gas combined - but is perceived as a 'dirty' fuel.
It's true that simply burning coal releases harmful emissions. But Shell's gasification technology, where pulverized coal is mixed with oxygen and steam at around 1,500°C, can turn virtually any coal - even the lowest grades - into synthesis gas. Synthesis gas from coal can be purified to burn as cleanly as natural gas and again can serve as a chemical feedstock.
Gasification processes date back to the early days of the chemical industry but the technology is very relevant to today's energy and petrochemical challenges. Shell's technology has so far been licensed for 15 gasification plants in China, where there are huge reserves of coal, and two in Europe.
We have taken the first big steps in the development of these technologies but breaking down synthesis gas into smaller molecules like chemicals requires further research and development.
We know from experience that only perseverance and long-term commitment will deliver clean, efficient, commercially viable processes. Technology has helped to deliver many of the benefits of modern day life we enjoy today, and it can do the same for tomorrow's world.
About Carl Mesters
Carl Mesters is a leading authority on catalysis and an internationally recognised expert in his field. He joined Shell in 1984 and currently works at the Shell Research and Technology Centre in Amsterdam.
Carl has a degree in physical and inorganic chemistry from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, and completed a PhD on the preparation of copper-nickel alloys, a study on single crystals and supported catalysts, during a four-year assignment at the Netherlands Foundation for Chemical Research.
He has been chairman of the Catalysis Society of the Royal Dutch Chemical Association, and is currently a member of the research committee of the Netherlands Institute for Catalysis Research.
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