Petrochemicals and gasoline are produced by oil, while very expensive oil resources are declining, said Dr. Es'haq Moradian the executive manager of the project titled "Study on the selectivity of light olefins in MTO process using SAPO composite nanocatalysts prepared by ultrasonic waves".
Thanks to the cheap gas resources in Iran, it is very important to produce these products using natural gas to prevent selling raw materials and to convert natural gas into these products with much higher added value, he added.
He noted that the project has led to the production of petrochemical products in the laboratory phase and explained that a catalyst is usually used to produce petrochemical products but it is the first catalyst in the world that has been produced by the help of natural minerals extracted from mines.
It is very expensive to use oil in manufacturing catalysts, he said, adding that in this project, natural gas was converted into light olefins by MTO method for producing catalysts.
To reduce conventional refinery costs and accelerate the procedure, ultrasonic waves were used in this project, he added.
A similar project has been implemented only in China and by adopting the explained changes, Iran can become a pioneer in the world in this regard, he noted.
HJ/5041376