MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF announced the commercial launch of ZEAL which is a new Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) additive product designed to enhance the production of light olefins in FCC units that process resid or gasoil feedstocks, said Hydrocarbomprocessing.
ZEAL is the latest product development that will enable refiners to quickly respond to the increasing shift to petrochemical feedstocks. ZEAL has been optimized to deliver superior propylene yields while maintaining the base catalyst performance.
ZEAL commercial trials have confirmed its ability to deliver high propylene selectivity and yields. This innovative technology from BASF enhances performance through the higher content of zeolitic active sites in a new propylene FCC additive. Successful applications have demonstrated ZEAL’s ability to provide operating flexibility as refiners increasingly shift toward a crude-to-chemicals configuration in the future.
Detlef Ruff, Senior Vice President Process Catalysts at BASF, says: “The introduction of ZEAL shows that we continuously innovate and introduce new products that address refineries’ needs. We are confident that the benefits of this new product will bring our customers improvements in propylene yields, potentially contributing to the refineries’ profitability.”
“The refining market, and our customers, increasingly focus on the need to support conversion of crude to chemicals,” says Jim Chirumbole, Vice President Refining Catalysts at BASF. “ZEAL delivers high propylene yields to help our customers make more for the market.”
As MRC reported earlier, BASF has restarted its No. 1 steam cracker following a maintenance turnaorund. Thus, the company resumed operations at the plant on September 30, 2019. The plant was shut for maintenance in mid-August, 2019. Located at Ludwigshafen in Germany, the No. 1 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 235,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 125,000 mt/year.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 557,060 tonnes in the first three month of 2020, up by 7% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments rose because of the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. Demand for LDPE subsided. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market was 267,630 tonnes in January-March 2020, down 20% year on year. Homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers accounted for the main decrease in imports.
BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF generated sales of EUR59 billion in 2019.
MRC