Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hitoshi Ochi; hereinafter ”MCC”) is pleased to announce that it has concluded a collaboration agreement*1 with MET Gas Processing Technologies S.p.A. (hereinafter “MET”), a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.*2, a major Italian engineering company, over the licensing of a process for manufacturing acrylic acid, acrylic acid ester and oxo alcohols from natural gas.
MCC launched the development of a process for producing acrylic acid and acrylic acid ester from propylene in 1962, built the first commercial plant based on the process at the Yokkaichi in 1973, and has since continued to operate the plant to date. The process has been licensed in a total of more than 10 cases in the world. Likewise, MCC began developing a process for manufacturing oxo alcohols from propylene in 1953, built the first commercial plant based on the process in 1960, and has since continued to operate the plant at the Mizushima. MCC has licensed the process in about 10 cases in the world. Through the collaboration agreement, MCC and MET will embark on the business of licensing a package of technologies combining MET’s process of manufacturing propylene directly from methane contained in natural gas and MCC’s process of manufacturing acrylic acid, acrylic acid ester and oxo alcohols from propylene.
Currently, global demand for acrylic acid, acrylic acid ester and oxo alcohols is growing at an annual rate of more than 5%. Propylene production from natural gas mostly uses the method of manufacture via methane as an intermediate product. The MET process covered by the collaboration is a new technology producing propylene directly from methane in natural gas, enabling inexpensive propylene production. Through the collaboration, it is possible to provide customers with a competitive process permitting integrated production from a raw material. MCC will proactively expand licensing business through the collaboration to meet growing demand for propylene and its derivatives.

*1 About contents of the collaboration agreement
The agreement calls for a series of processes for manufacturing acid, acrylic acid ester and oxo alcohols from natural gas to be packaged and licensed.

*2 About Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.
A major Italian engineering company engaged mainly in the construction of plants for oil, petrochemicals, fertilizer, etc.

The contents are as of the presentation date. Please note that content may be changed at a later date.