SIBUR increases MTBE production capacity

SIBUR has expanded its methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) designed capacity in Tchaikovsky, Perm Territory, from 200,000 to 220,000 tons per year. The expansion required the installation of additional heat exchangers and MTBE synthesis equipment, without interrupting production. All the necessary connections to the process system, equipment installation and industrial automation were completed within a year.
MTBE is a fuel additive used in motor gasoline to increase octane rating and prevent the fuel’s detonation in the combustion chamber. Because current domestic production of MTBE exceeds domestic consumption, the excess production is exported. However, demand for MTBE is constantly growing, partly because of more stringent quality requirements for gasoline.
In line with its program to expand its existing MTBE production capacity, SIBUR’s project to increase the production capacity in Tobolsk, Tyumen Oblast, Russia, from 120,000 to 150,000 tons per year was completed in 2011. In 2011, SIBUR produced more than 400,000 tons of MTBE. (December 28, 2012)