171
plants will be constucted: a subsidiary of PTT Global Chemical Public Company
Limited of Thailand is constructing a plant of 200,000 tons/year and is due to be
completed in 2020. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, India has entered into
an agreement with Sumitomo Chemical to set up a 300,000 tons/year PO plant
which is expected to come stream in 2022–2023 [79]. The new PO only cumene
process offers higher yield of PO with only producing small amounts of by-products
as well as environmentally superior than the conventional hydroperoxide processes [80].
Fourth-generation PO-only process uses hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant.
BASF-Dow and Evonik-Udhe both have developed their proprietary HPPO technology [81]. This method produces only water as co-product and therefore has highest
environmental footprints. The HPPO process [82] is revolutionizing the practical
implementation of the sustainable catalytic oxidation using H 2 O 2 as an oxidant. A
number of HPPO plants have been commissioned in the last few years to cater the
growing demand for PO [83]. The largest HPPO plant (390,000 tons/year) owned
and operated by SCG-Dow is located in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, and producing PO
since 2011. Two other HPPO plants are: (a) located at Antwerp, Belgium operated
jointly by BASF-Dow (since 2008) with a capacity of 300,000 tons/year [84] and
(b) operated by SKC (since 2008) with a capacity of 300,000 tons/year at Ulsan,
South Korea and technology licensed by Evonik-Uhde [85]. In the BASF-Dow process [86], PO production is performed in a fixed-bed reactor over a TS-1 catalyst
[87–91]. Evonik-Uhde technology also uses a Ti-silicalite catalyst. In all the abovementioned HPPO plants, H 2 O 2 is produced from the classical anthraquinone oxidation (AO) process for PO production. It is claimed by the companies that PO
production based on the HPPO process is more economical compared to other PO
production processes as HPPO plants require 25% less capital to build [92].
HPPO process produces water as only by-product along with PO as a major
product. Apart from water, unlike other traditional processes, there is no other byproduct formation and thus the process has the highest environmental footprints
(Scheme 5). Traditional process generates styrene monomers and propylene dichloride as by-products which can be avoided in the HPPO process. In general, the
HPPO process is environmentally superior in comparison to other conventional PO
processes.
The other environmental benefits of the HPPO plant when compared to traditional PO production technologies include reduction in wastewater by about 80%,
decrease in energy consumption by about 35%, and fewer requirements for physical
footprint and infrastructure, and simpler raw material integration. Owing to such
breakthrough process technology, BASF and Dow received together the Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 2010 from the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) [93]. This award is a great recognition and validates the greener
environmental footprints of the HPPO technology.
C3-Based Petrochemicals: Recent Advances in Processes and Catalysts
plants will be constucted: a subsidiary of PTT Global Chemical Public Company
Limited of Thailand is constructing a plant of 200,000 tons/year and is due to be
completed in 2020. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, India has entered into
an agreement with Sumitomo Chemical to set up a 300,000 tons/year PO plant
which is expected to come stream in 2022–2023 [79]. The new PO only cumene
process offers higher yield of PO with only producing small amounts of by-products
as well as environmentally superior than the conventional hydroperoxide processes [80].
Fourth-generation PO-only process uses hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant.
BASF-Dow and Evonik-Udhe both have developed their proprietary HPPO technology [81]. This method produces only water as co-product and therefore has highest
environmental footprints. The HPPO process [82] is revolutionizing the practical
implementation of the sustainable catalytic oxidation using H 2 O 2 as an oxidant. A
number of HPPO plants have been commissioned in the last few years to cater the
growing demand for PO [83]. The largest HPPO plant (390,000 tons/year) owned
and operated by SCG-Dow is located in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, and producing PO
since 2011. Two other HPPO plants are: (a) located at Antwerp, Belgium operated
jointly by BASF-Dow (since 2008) with a capacity of 300,000 tons/year [84] and
(b) operated by SKC (since 2008) with a capacity of 300,000 tons/year at Ulsan,
South Korea and technology licensed by Evonik-Uhde [85]. In the BASF-Dow process [86], PO production is performed in a fixed-bed reactor over a TS-1 catalyst
[87–91]. Evonik-Uhde technology also uses a Ti-silicalite catalyst. In all the abovementioned HPPO plants, H 2 O 2 is produced from the classical anthraquinone oxidation (AO) process for PO production. It is claimed by the companies that PO
production based on the HPPO process is more economical compared to other PO
production processes as HPPO plants require 25% less capital to build [92].
HPPO process produces water as only by-product along with PO as a major
product. Apart from water, unlike other traditional processes, there is no other byproduct formation and thus the process has the highest environmental footprints
(Scheme 5). Traditional process generates styrene monomers and propylene dichloride as by-products which can be avoided in the HPPO process. In general, the
HPPO process is environmentally superior in comparison to other conventional PO
processes.
The other environmental benefits of the HPPO plant when compared to traditional PO production technologies include reduction in wastewater by about 80%,
decrease in energy consumption by about 35%, and fewer requirements for physical
footprint and infrastructure, and simpler raw material integration. Owing to such
breakthrough process technology, BASF and Dow received together the Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 2010 from the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) [93]. This award is a great recognition and validates the greener
environmental footprints of the HPPO technology.
C3-Based Petrochemicals: Recent Advances in Processes and Catalysts