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Methanol likely isn’t the first product that comes to mind in the typical world of start-ups, but for those in the chemical processing industry, their ears will perk up at the mention of a small-scale, transportable plant that can produce methanol from natural gas and other syngas sources. That’s exactly what co-founder Russell Hillenburg and his partner created after they founded Modular Plant Solutions (MPS), a global engineering firm specializing in process modularization and project implementation.
For the last several years, Russell and his team at MPS have been working to bring their flagship product, MeOH-To-Go®, to market, which they formally introduced in September 2021. MeOH-To-Go® is a small-scale, modularized methanol plant that produces AA grade methanol for immediate market utilization from natural gas from a variety of grey sources, including pipeline, stranded and flared, as well as various compositions of syngas derived from newly developed green or blue sources.
The prototype MeOH-To-Go® plant was designed to use stranded natural gas (gas located too far from a pipeline or treatment process to get to market), as feedstock for a small-scale methanol production plant. It can be assembled at the site of the stranded gas and then converted into methanol, an easily transportable commodity that tracks the price of oil.
The World Economic Forum estimates approximately 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas is flared annually, emitting hundreds of millions of tons of polluting emissions. MPS’s plant makes it possible for operators to convert what was previously waste to something useful and profitable.
Methanol has numerous applications in several industries — from plastics, automotive and paints to adhesives, construction and pharmaceuticals, as well as a growing demand for use as a cleaner marine fuel. Russell’s co-created design breaks the mold of traditional chemical plants, as a large-scale format was originally thought to be the only economically feasible way to construct such a plant. This team has made small-scale methanol production make economic sense with MeOH-To-Go® through the combination of shop-fabricated modules, a standardized, repeatable design, the ability to control and monitor remotely, and lower transportation costs.
Not only was Russell instrumental in the original design for this plant, but he’s also spearheaded the patent process (U.S. Patent 20210372116), published in Dec. 2021, which is awaiting final approval. Designed with the patent-pending idea that everything fits an ISO-1496 container, the plant modules can be produced in several areas of the world, put in a shipping container, and transported by truck, ship or rail to remote locations. It’s akin to building blocks, where parts can be fabricated in different locations and assembled on-site.
What’s also unique about the design of the plant is that depending on a customer’s resources and needs, Russell and his team can use different feedstock options and technology processes for MeOH-To-Go® to create AA grade methanol, gasoline or other end products.
MPS currently offers two proprietary back-end technology processes that are add-on options for MeOH-To-GoⓇ: Gasoline-To-GoⓇ to produce market-ready gasoline and DME-To-GoⓇ to produce dimethyl ether, a clean burning alternative diesel fuel. Both technology processes received their registered trademark status in 2022.
[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] MPS and Russell expect continued interest in their process technology, as several other confidential projects are currently in discussion.
The bottom line: Russell and the MPS team are breaking the curve to make small-scale plants more economical with their modularization techniques and have made several strides in bringing their start-up to life since 2021. The future applications for their modularization approach are endless, for methanol and beyond.
Nomination Title: Russell Hillenburg, President and Co-Founder
