FAIRFAX, VA. — Mobil Technology Co. and Kobe Steel Ltd. together will develop a new process that promises to lower the cost of producing 2/6 dimethylnaphthalene.
The 2/6 DMN is a precursor of polyethylene naphthalate, a high-performance polymer that is finding growing use in film and food packaging applications. Lowering the cost of PEN also could open up new applications for PEN such as returnable plastic bottles, Mobil said.
The new Mobil/Kobe process combines Mobil's zeolite catalyst technology with a unique Kobe purification technology to produce high-purity 2/6 DMN.
Mobil Technology is an affiliate of Fairfax-based Mobil Corp.