Metathesis for Propylene

Historically Propylene has been looked down upon as a byproduct of Ethylene during steam cracking of Naphtha and since Ethylene commanded a higher price, most crackers were configured to maximize the yield of the lower olefin, typically twice as much as Propylene. But this equation is fast changing. With growing applications of Polypropylene, Naphtha Crackers and Refinery FCCU’s are unable to cope up with the rising demand for Propylene. Many options to bridge this supply – demand gap are becoming attractive and one of them is Metathesis, which produces Propylene through a reaction between Ethylene and 2-butenes. Approximately 0.42 tons of Ethylene is required for every ton of Propylene.

Metathesis has been around for more than 3 decades now, but it has caught the eye only now. The first significant application of metathesis for Propylene production was designed by ABB Lummus Global and was commissioned by Lyondell Petrochemical in 1985. Lummus acquired the technology in 1997 and initiated an intense development program to optimize and broaden the technology. Earlier this month Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore’s Metathesis plant went on stream to produce 200,000 TPA Propylene. Metathesis is a term that is going to be increasingly talked about.

Catalysts & Synthesis

Technology & Flowsheet