Braskem America, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Brazilian petrochemical group Braskem, and Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) are jointly developing a pilot-scale demonstration facility for CMS’ proprietary Optiperm olefin/paraffin separation technology.

Optiperm is designed for use in petrochemical manufacturing plants and refineries as a bolt-on technology to capture, separate and upgrade existing streams that would otherwise be lost or under-valued.

“Braskem is pursuing growth and diversification globally. We share the belief that innovation is a key concept to lead our initiatives towards competitiveness and sustainability throughout our various product chains. Our expectations are that Optiperm will play an important role in Braskem’s innovation strategy,” said Gus Hutras, leader of process technology development at Braskem.

According to CMS, when used in conjunction with existing unit operations, membrane separation systems can increase yield and capacity, lower costs, reduce process bottlenecks, and capture value from existing streams, while operating in a greener, cleaner, and more efficient manner.

The Optiperm technology strips propylene from the bottom stream to meet HD-5, or consumer-grade, propane specification. Similarly, it can be used in a polyethylene or polypropylene purge stream to capture high-purity olefin for recycle to a reactor, thereby reducing feedstock costs.

Optiperm membranes can also be used on a stand-alone basis as a low capital way to expand capacity or for purification and polishing of selected streams.

The pilot is intended to demonstrate successful operation under field conditions for an extended period of time. The companies did not give a location or timescale for developing the facility. However, CMS noted that Optiperm technology was previously deployed in a pilot system at the Delaware City Refinery, where its technological viability in a similar application was validated, meeting its performance targets.