MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell has recently announced that Ceyhan Polipropilen Uretim A.S. will use Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology to produce 457,000 metric tons per year of polymer-grade propylene for a new petrochemicals complex in Ceyhan, Turkey, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Ceyhan Polipropilen Uretim is a joint venture of Ronesans Holding and the Algerian national energy company Sonatrach S.p.A. The new unit will be used to supply propylene for production of polypropylene (PP), which is used to make a wide variety of plastic products that are growing in demand globally.
Honeywell UOP will provide technology licensing and customized basic engineering design, services, equipment, catalysts and adsorbents for the plant. When completed, this will be the first propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit to operate in Turkey.
"There is growing demand in the region for propylene to make plastics, and that propylene has historically been a byproduct of refining fuels, or a product of naphtha cracking," said Bryan Glover, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP’s Petrochemicals and Refining Technologies business. "The Oleflex technology produces a high yield of propylene from propane derived from natural gas, and Ceyhan is an ideal location for this technology because it’s close to the main consumers of polypropylene in Turkey."
The new unit will enable Ceyhan Polipropilen to manufacture polypropylene domestically, reducing Turkey’s dependence on imports from manufacturers in the Middle East and Western Europe. Turkey accounts for half the total demand for polypropylene in the region. Demand for polypropylene in Turkey is expected to grow at about 2.5% annually over the next decade.
UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology converts propane to propylene through catalytic dehydrogenation. The technology is designed to have a lower cash cost of production and higher return on investment when compared to competing dehydrogenation technologies. Its low energy consumption, low emissions, minimal water usage and fully recyclable, platinum-alumina-based catalyst system help minimize its impact on the environment. The independent reactor and regeneration design of the Oleflex technology helps maintain stable operations with high onstream reliability.
Oleflex technology has been selected for a majority of dehydrogenation projects globally since 2011, including applications for propane, isobutane (iC4) and mixed propane and isobutane feeds.
Turkey imported more than 2 million metric tons of polypropylene in 2017. The new plant is expected to reduce Turkish imports of polypropylene by 25%, and offset approximately USD13 billion in imported petrochemicals, representing a third of Turkey’s foreign trade deficit in manufacturing.
As MRC wrote previously, in December 2019, Honeywell announced that Shandong Binhua New Material Co., Ltd. will use Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology to produce 600,000 metric tons per year of polymer-grade propylene for a proposed plant in China.
Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.
Honeywell UOP is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions, a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.
MRC