Dow And Süd-Chemie In Research Alliance

Dow Chemical and catalyst expert Süd-Chemie have agreed to jointly research and develop catalytic means of converting syngas derived from coal or biomass into olefins and other chemicals. Syngas is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide produced via gasification. Dow has been trying to reduce its reliance on traditional oil- and gas-derived feedstocks for olefin-based plastics and materials. A year ago, it awarded two academic consortia a total of $6.4 million to come up with a process to directly convert methane into olefins. The company also plans to invest in a Brazilian project to convert sugarcane to ethylene.