The global ethylene gap expands propane dehydrogenation into new investment hotspot
The global ethylene gap expands propane dehydrogenation into new investment hotspot
Propylene is mainly used in the production of polypropylene, acrylonitrile, propylene oxide and isopropyl alcohol, which is the basic raw material of petroleum chemical after ethylene. With a global consumption of 90 million tons, propylene is one of the most promising big petrochemical products. Driven by real estate, automobiles, packaging, textile and clothing, historical demand has grown at about 1.5 times of GDP, and the global growth rate is expected to be 3.8 percent in the next five years and 5.2 percent to 7.2 percent in China. At present, global propylene production growth is slow, and its demand is growing rapidly, so the ethylene gap is increasing.
Traditional propylene process faces supply constraints
Traditional propylene system mainly includes steam cracking and refinery extraction. The pyrolysis of naphtha is the main way to obtain propylene. In recent years, however, as the shale gas large-scale applications, the production of ethylene cracking plant raw materials by high naphtha to cheap ethane, to reduce production costs, sharply reduce the number of by-products of propylene. According to the investment bank expert analysis, as of early 2013, the United States naphtha steam cracking unit joint production of propylene has decreased by 2.3 million ~ 2.7 million tons/year, is expected to reduce to at least 2015 to 2015 tons/year. Refinery propylene is the second largest source of propylene, but the catalytic cracking unit mainly produces gasoline, and propylene is only 3% to 6% of its output.
Propane dehydrogenation is emerging as a new investment hotspot
Due to the supply constraints of the traditional propylene process, the propylene gap is huge, and the manufacturers are looking for new ways to make propylene. However, the propane dehydrogenation has emerged as a new investment hotspot because of its relatively small size, high efficiency and high investment return. Propane dehydrogenation is an inexpensive propane that is widely available in natural gas. As the shale gas revolution has boomed, global propane production has risen rapidly. In recent years, the price of propane is steady and falling, which is beneficial to improve the profit space of propane dehydrogenation project. In addition, the propane import tariff is only 1%, and the advantages of propane - propylene spread in propane dehydrogenation project make it a sought-after property.
