GAIL, IIP in pact to market natural gas-to-gasoline technology

Mumbai: The Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, has signed an agreement with state-run gas utility GAIL for joint marketing of the natural gas liquid to gas and gasoline (NTGG) technology.

IIP, a constituent laboratory of CSIR, has formalised a joint technology ownership with GAIL to facilitate the commercialisation of the technology. According to a statement from GAIL, a patent application for equal intellectual property rights has already been filed in 2001 and the grant of patent is expected soon.

The agreement followed the success of the pilot plant set up at GAIL's LPG plant at Vaghodia, Gujarat, which is running at a capacity of 8,000 tonnes per annum of natural gas liquid (NGL). The NTGG technology enables the conversion of natural gas liquid to gas and gasoline. The process converts NGL into value-added products, namely LPG rich stream, gasoline blending stock and diesel blending stock.

Some of the reputed national and international organisations have already expressed interest in setting up commercial plants using this technology.

Further experimentation is on to modify the technology to produce LPG and naphtha or higher amount of aromatics as end products.