Gas 2025 Issue

Estimating the economic benefits of purified ethylene and propylene recovery: chemical value vs the fuel value

Component

Heat value,

Heat value, MBTU/MT *

Spot price,

Fuel value, Million $/yr

Spot value, Million $/yr

Value gain, Million $/yr

kcal/kg

$/MT

2024 Europe average

Hydrogen Ethylene Propylene Natural gas

11,270 10,940 12,500

44.7 43.4 49.6

793

7.93/81KMT 2.66/28 KMT

64.23/81KMT 33.29/28KMT

56.3/81KMT 30.6/28KMT

1,189

$2.19/MBTU

N/A

2024 Henry Hub average

* 1 kcal = 3.966 BTU

Table 3

Future perspectives Despite initial capital investments, ROG purification tech- nology offers compelling economics through the efficient recovery of valuable chemicals and hydrogen streams. The growing emphasis on sustainability and circular economy has expanded ROG purification applications beyond tradi- tional refinery streams. New opportunities emerge, among others, in waste plastic pyrolysis and propane dehydro- genation (PDH) off-gas treatment, where established cata- lyst systems effectively recover valuable components while meeting environmental objectives. These developments position ROG purification as a key technology in the transi- tion towards more sustainable chemical processing. OleMax, Catofin, PolyMax, ActiSorb, H2Max, and StyroMax are marks

an operational ROG purification system processing 33 MT/ hr of contaminated feed, representing actual performance data from a Clariant-serviced facility. To estimate the economic benefits of purified ethylene and propylene recovery, a simplified approximation comparing the chemical value vs the fuel value is sufficient (see Table 3 ). The net gain [Σ (ethylene + propylene) chemical value – Σ (eth- ylene + propylene) heat value ] for this project sums up to around $87 million per annum. This does not account for the recov- ery of hydrogen that can be used in the refinery complex or sold externally. Hydrogen is becoming a vital role in the chemical industry’s energy transition and will be revalued. Without specific knowledge of the detailed total installed costs (TIC) and Opex of the case study, the communicated payback time was less than 24 months. The lifetime of the employed catalysts exceeds 24 months in this case. Sustainability Without purification, ROG streams serve merely as fuel, either in fuel gas systems or through flaring, resulting in the com- bustion of valuable olefins, hydrogen, and saturated hydro- carbons while generating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ROG purification technology reduces GHG emissions through two primary mechanisms:  Enhancing olefins production capacity without additional ethylene plant feedstock processing. v Preventing the combustion of olefinic content for fuel value. Industry-accepted data indicate that standard ethylene plants generate 1.0-2.0 MT of CO₂ per MT of ethylene pro- duced, varying by feedstock type.3 , 4 ROG purification tech- nology can help avoid these emissions by recovering olefins from integrated or adjacent refineries. In the referenced case study, the recovery of 81 KMT/ yr of purified ethylene prevents 81-162 KMT/yr of GHG emissions from an ethylene plant. Additionally, avoiding the combustion of 81 KMT/yr of ethylene (or propylene) prevents approximately 250 KMT/yr of CO2 emissions. 5 The total GHG emission reduction potential for this reference case reaches 400 KMT annually, provided carbon-neutral fuel sources are available. While substituting ROG fuel value with natural gas does not provide the full potential of GHG emission benefits, modern net-zero CO₂ installations replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources maximise the environmen- tal advantages of ROG purification for chemical use rather than combustion.

of Clariant. References 1 Reliance complex, Technip Energies. 2 KBR-Catalytic-Olefins-Technology-K-COT-Brochure.pdf.

3 Rustad, E. K., Jens, K-J, Øi, L. E., Reducing the CO₂ emissions of a gas cracker by reforming fuel gas, Department of Process, Energy and Environmental Technology, University of South-Eastern Norway, September 20-21, 2022. 4 Amghizar, I, et al ., Sustainable innovations in steam cracking: CO₂ neutral olefin production, Reaction Chemistry & Engineering . 5, 2020, pp.239-257. 5 Stoichiometric combustion of 1 MT ethylene produces 3.14 MT of CO₂ . Wolf Spaether is Head of Strategic Marketing and Product Management – Ethylene at Clariant, based in Munich, Germany. He has 26 years of experience in the petrochemicals catalyst industry, with a strong background in polypropylene, styrene, PDH, and olefins. He holds a PhD from the University of Münster and a postdoctoral study from the University of Oxford, UK. Holli Garrett is Global Product Manager at Clariant, based in Houston, TX, USA, focused on translating technical details into actionable strat- egies that align with corporate objectives and customer needs. Kristina Morgan is Global Marketing Manager for Petrochemicals at Clariant, based in Louisville, KY, USA. With more than 15 years of expertise in technical marketing, she holds a master's from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor's from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. Felix Schulz is Global Technology Advisor – Olefins at Clariant, based in Munich, where he oversees the industrial application of products for steam crackers, including selective hydrogenation and purification processes such as ethylene recovery from refinery off-gases. With more than 15 years of experience, he holds a PhD from the Technical University of Munich.