Petrochemical Industry Progressing towards sustainable Future

Abhrasnata Das

The future of the petrochemical industry will nothing be like the days of the past. According to Mckinsey, the value-creation methods of the petrochemical sector are projected to be undermined by 2030 due to slower demand growth in emerging nations and less available advantageous feedstocks. In order to sustain and survive in the period of slowdown, the players will be required to take a more disciplined approach and invest in new methods that keep them on par with developing global demands.

In the coming days, the organizations will be required to invest in cutting-edge technology and novel manufacturing processes, helping to attain increased productivity and higher capital productivity on the industry’s large-scale projects.

Moreover, with the globe actively transiting toward a sustainable future, the petrochemical industry will need to restructure its operation that aligns with greener terms. With a move from a linear to a circular model, the industry is also required to explore a new form of feedstocks and energy sources.

With so much on the plate, the industry is considering investing in novel technologies. New players are also coming up with innovative technologies that are altering the course of the petrochemical industry. In this article, we have mentioned the key few:

Optimized Catalyst System

For industrial actors, replacing or refixing the catalyst in the petrochemical sector has been a serious difficulty. To renew or replace a catalyst, the petrochemical players must take a turnaround every two years. In the US, numerous refiners often take two weeks to two months off for maintenance in the late first quarter to the early second quarter. This action stops all operations, which has a significant impact on output and profitability overall.

However, Javier Garcia-Martinez, a professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Alicante, and Jeffrey Rimer, the Abraham E. Dukler Professor at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, may have discovered a solution to this problem.

The team has discovered a novel seeding method that streamlines the synthesis process, resulting in a zeolite with a higher concentration of aluminum and a distinct crystal structure that promotes chemical interactions with less carbon buildup.

“This novel technique has the advantage of producing thicker well-formed sheets, which is important to produce highly stable materials – an important feature in most industrially relevant applications,” said Martinez.

With a 5-fold increase in activity, a 4-fold decrease in deactivation rates, and a nearly 2-fold increase in selectivity, this new catalyst exhibits an unheard-of improvement in catalyst performance.

Sustainable Petrochemical Solutions

Circular economy trends are affecting global polymer demands, diminishing the rise in demand for virgin polymers while increasing the market share of recyclable products. According to studies, in 2019, global demand for polymers was around 175 million tons and could grow 4 percent a year to about 275 million tons by 2030.

Today, the petrochemical players are expected to participate in the development of the circular economy and find new revenue sources based on the demand for circular products. In light of the risks and opportunities arising from the circular economy, forward-thinking GCC petrochemicals players can pursue a comprehensive approach to build strategic positions with a long-term focus.

To succeed in a dynamic circular economy, this approach should include a clear and target-oriented strategy, an integrated business model between traditional chemicals manufacturing, recycling, and circular products, and the development of internal capabilities and external partnerships.

Danish startup BlueBenu has developed a mixed waste treatment technology that converts plastic waste streams into eco-crude oil and virgin petrochemicals. The startup’s modular production units (MPU) consist of container-sized structures that hold the reactors and tanks. The crude-oil production is refinable to produce new virgin petrochemicals with higher socio-economic value, creating clean energy and sustainable petrochemicals.

Continuous Manufacturing Model

For many years, particularly in batch operations, the petrochemical industries have adopted automated and semi-automated processes in the process industries.
When these procedures are used in recipes, they follow the ISA-88 batch control standard and use a modular approach. Employing a modular strategy could enable businesses to standardize operations across facilities, sites, and whole organizations, enabling corporate-wide repeatability and reproducibility.

This would contribute to a cheaper total cost of ownership, consistent operation, and decreased engineering labor expenses (TCO). In order to deliver consistent, ideal, and safe operations, the ultimate goal is to achieve the finest practices of the best operator on their best day, every day.

Stoli, a UK-based firm offers its clients multifunctional continuous flow reactors for use in industrial and scientific settings. The Scalable Agitated Baffle Reactor (SABRe) technology developed by the firm accelerates complicated and exothermic processes by using a series of constantly stirred tanks.

In petrochemical operations like hydrogenation, it is suitable with large pumps, chillers, heaters, and overhead stirrers. As a result, there is no longer a need to make extra investments in new machinery to investigate continuous production.

Looking Forward

Petrochemical businesses will likely concentrate on innovation budgets, capital investments, and strategy planning for circular methods in the days to come.

This will involve developing a credible portfolio of options that includes recycling, energy recovery, and end-market and application offerings that are inherently more circular.