Ethylene and Propylene: Commonly Used Petrochemicals

Ethylene and Propylene: Commonly Used Petrochemicals

 They serve as chemical building blocks and raw materials used for making a wide range of plastic and other polymer products. Some of the most common petrochemicals include ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylene and styrene. This article will focus on two petrochemicals - ethylene and propylene which are among the most widely used petrochemicals globally.

Ethylene
Ethylene, also known as ethene, is an alkene with the chemical formula C2H4. It is a flammable gas with a slight sweet and musky odour when pure. Ethylene is primarily produced by steam cracking of hydrocarbons like ethane and naphtha obtained from natural gas and oil refineries. The global production of ethylene in 2020 was estimated to be around 170 million tonnes.

Uses of Ethylene
Ethylene is used as a chemical building block or monomer to produce several important polymers and plastics like:

- Polyethylene: Polyethylene is one of the most widely produced plastics globally and is used to make various products like plastic bags, containers, bottles, pipes etc. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) are the most common polyethylene resins produced from ethylene.

- Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA): EVA is a co-polymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. It is used as a hot melt adhesive and in production of foams for insulation.

- Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH): EVOH is a barrier resin used for food and beverage packaging films requiring high gas barrier properties against moisture, oxygen and carbon dioxide.

- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): PVC is a thermoplastic made from ethylene dichloride which is produced from ethylene. PVC finds use in construction materials like pipes, window frames etc.

- Ethylene oxide: Ethylene oxide is an important industrial chemical intermediate used as a precursor to produce ethylene glycol which is further used in polyester fibers and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins.

Propylene

Propylene, also known as propene, is an alkene with chemical formula C3H6. Like ethylene, propylene is also predominantly produced from steam cracking of hydrocarbons obtained from oil and gas refineries. The global production of propylene in 2020 was estimated to be around 196 million tonnes.

Sources and Production of Propylene
Propylene is commercially produced from naphtha obtained in oil refineries or from cracking of ethane from natural gas. In the steam cracking process, light hydrocarbons like ethane and propane obtained from oil refineries or natural gas processing plants are heated to high temperatures to produce lighter and more useful olefin gases like ethylene and propylene. Propane is also directly dehydrogenated to produce propylene.

Major Uses of Propylene
Some of the important uses of propylene include:

- Polypropylene: Polypropylene is the second largest consumed plastic globally after polyethylene. It is used to make various packaging films, containers, automobile components, textiles etc.

- Propylene oxide: Propylene oxide is an important raw material used as a precursor to produce other derivatives like polyether polyols. These polyols are further used to produce polyurethane foam which is used in mattresses, furniture, insulation etc.

- Cumene and acetone production: Propylene is used to make cumene and acetone through alkylation with benzene which are important industrial chemicals.

- Acrylic fibers: Propylene is polymerized to make polypropylene which is further processed to manufacture acrylonitrile. Acrylonitrile is used to manufacture acrylic fibers which are primarily used in textile, furnishings and apparel industries.

- Other applications: Other minor uses of propylene include in production of polyisopropanolamine for mineral processing industry, fuel additives and rubber chemicals.

As illustrated above, Ethylene And Propylene are the building blocks and vital raw materials required for manufacturing a wide variety of polymers, plastics and chemical intermediates. Their increasing production and consumption signify the growing global demand for plastics and chemicals in various sectors including packaging, consumer durables, automotive, construction etc. Sustained investments in technology will be critical to meet the surging demand for these petrochemicals effectively.
 
Get more insights on- Ethylene And Propylene