Siluria Technologies and The Linde Group have entered into a collaboration agreement based on Siluria’s oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) technology, which catalytically converts methane directly to ethylene. The companies have formed joint teams, which will fully integrate the companies’ respective technologies and collaborate through the final scale-up and demonstration of the OCM technology at the Braskem demonstration plant Siluria is constructing in La Porte, Texas.

The companies expect to be offering the technologies to the broader ethylene industry in the second half of 2015. Siluria is currently engaged in feasibility studies with selected operating companies in the ethylene industry focused on the initial commercial deployments.