Page 170 - CW E-Magazine (4-6-2024)

FIGURE 3 CHAPTER ONE
Simplified flow diagram showing the production of end-use applications and consumer products
Special Report
from fossil feedstocks.

Fossil feedstocks Crude oil Natural gas Coal

Refining and
processing
Ethane Propane Butanes Naphtha Syngas

Ethene Propene Butadiene Benzene Methanol
Primary
chemicals
Toluene

Xylenes

Intermediate
chemicals Monomers, polymers, pharmaceutical intermediates

End-use Plastics Insulation Paints Tyres Medicines
applications
and consumer
products Elastics Coatings Electronics Adhesives Textiles

Fig. 3: Simplified flow diagram showing the production of end-use applications and consumer products from fossil feedstocks.
fuel feedstocks are currently processed, polystyrene (PS). All of these polymers products and end uses, for example in
firstly into primary chemicals and then are used widely for clothing fibres, plas- polyurethanes for insulation, coatings
into the everyday products on which tic packaging, film, pipes and bottles. and adhesives, whilst acetone is used
society relies is shown in Figure 3. widely in paints, solvents, nail varnish
Propene remover and adhesives.
The manufacture and use of the Propene is mainly produced by the
steam cracking process from either naph-
primary chemicals are described below.
CATALYSING CHANGE: DEFOSSILISING THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY – POLICY BRIEFING Butadiene 11
tha or propane. It is also a by-product of Butadiene is produced via steam
Ethene petroleum refining. Production of pro- cracking of naphtha, with approximately
Ethene is primarily produced by the pene via propane dehydrogenation and 18-mt being produced globally each
steam cracking of ethane (see Box 2), the methanol-to-olefins process is also year, making it the least-produced olefin.
which is largely a product of natural gas becoming increasingly important. Approxi- It has applications in a wide variety
processing, or naphtha, which is a pro- mately 130-mt of propene is produced of specialised products such as styrene-
duct of crude oil distillation. Approxi- globally every year. Major uses for butadiene rubber (SBR), polybutadiene
mately 170-mt of ethene is produced glo- propene include polypropylene (PP), rubber (PBR), nitrile rubbers (NBR),
bally every year. The majority of ethene polyurethanes (via propylene oxide and adiponitrile (mainly used as the start-
is used to produce a range of polymers, polyols), acetone (via cumene), acrylo- ing point for nylon-66), acrylonitrile-
which include high density polyethy- nitrile for polymer applications, and butadiene-styrene resins (ABS) and
lene (HDPE), low density polyethylene polymethylacrylates (via acrylic acid). thermoplastic elastomers.
(LDPE), linear low density polyethylene
(LLDPE), polyethylene terephthalate These products are found in a Benzene
(PET), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and wide variety of downstream chemical Approximately 55-mt of benzene

170 Chemical Weekly June 4, 2024

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