Evonik to supply membrane technology to Malaysian biogas upgrader

German chemical firm Evonik says it has signed a large-scale agreement to supply its Sepuran green membranes and patented technology to MTC Orec Sdn Bhd (MTCO), a biogas upgrading plant producer based in Malaysia.

Co-owned and managed by VentureTECH, an entity funded by the Malaysian government, MTCO builds biogas upgrading plants, with plans to further expand this renewable energy technology across Asia. .

“Our collaboration with Evonik reflects a shared commitment to advancing biomethane solutions through engineering excellence and continuous innovation,” says Dr. Zahari bin Mohamad, CEO of MTCO. “With the support and guidance of VentureTECH, we have strengthened our capabilities, refined our strategic focus and accelerated our regional expansion. We aren’t just building plants; we are developing an ecosystem that supports Malaysia’s position as the central hub for bioenergy in Southeast Asia.”

Evonik’s green membranes are designed to turn biogas into high-purity biomethane – a filtering process known as “biogas upgrading.” The membranes consist of proprietary polyimide fibers, spun at Evonik’s site in Austria, and are contained in ready-to-use cylindrical modules, assembled in Schoerfling, Austria.

Thanks to this backward-integration, the membranes are fully customisable to a customer’s exact biogas upgrading specifications.

Key features include the ability to produce biomethane of liquid natural gas (LNG)-quality with very little energy, it adds.

Additionally, the technology includes patents for system design in the US, the EU and other regions across the globe and can be found in more than 2,000 upgrading plants worldwide.