Propene

➢ Introduction
Propene, also known as propylene or methyl ethylene, is an unsaturated organic
compound with the chemical formula {C3H6}. It has one double bond, and is
the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless
gas with a faint petroleum-like odor Bio-propylene is the bio-based counterpart
of propylene.

Figure 12 Propene

➢ Production
Steam cracking
The dominant technology for producing propylene is steam cracking. The same
technology is applied to ethane to ethylene. These two conversions are the #2 and
#1 processes in the chemical industry, as judged by their scale.In this process,
propane undergoes dehydrogenation. The by-product is hydrogen:

CH3CH2CH3 → CH3CH=CH2 + H2
The yield of propene is about 85 m%. By-products are usually used as fuel for
the propane dehydrogenation reaction. Steam cracking is one of the most energy-
intensive industrial processes.

The feedstock is naphtha or propane, especially in the Middle East, where there
is an abundance of propane from oil/gas operations. Propene can be separated by
fractional distillation from hydrocarbon mixtures obtained from cracking and
other refining processes; refinery-grade propene is about 50 to 70%. In the
United States shale gas is a major source of propane.

Olefin conversion technology

In the Phillips Triolefin or Olefin conversion technology propylene is
interconverted with ethylene and 2-butenes. Rhenium and molybdenum catalysts
are used:
 CH2=CH2 + CH3CH=CHCH3 → 2 CH2=CHCH3
The technology is founded on an olefin metathesis reaction discovered at Phillips
Petroleum
Company. Propene yields of about 90 wt% are achieved. Related is the
Methanol-toOlefins/Methanol-to-Propene process. It converts synthesis gas
(syngas) to methanol, and then converts the methanol to ethylene and/or
propene. The process produces water as by-product. Synthesis gas is produced
from |the reformation of natural gas or by the steam-induced reformation of
petroleum products such as naphtha, or by gasification of coal.

Fluid catalytic cracking

High severity fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) uses traditional FCC technology
under severe conditions (higher catalyst-to-oil ratios, higher steam injection
rates, higher temperatures, etc.) in order to maximize the amount of propene and
other light products. A high severity FCC unit is usually fed with gas oils
(paraffins) and residues, and produces about 20–25 m% propene on feedstock
together with greater volumes of motor gasoline and distillate byproducts.

Figure 13 PFD for Propene

➢ Uses
Propene is the second most important starting product in the petrochemical
industry after ethylene. It is the raw material for a wide variety of products.
Manufacturers of the plastic polypropylene account for nearly two thirds of all
demand. Polypropylene end uses include films, fibers, containers, packaging,
and caps and closures. Propene is also used for the production of important
chemicals such as propylene oxide, acrylonitrile, cumene, butyraldehyde, and
acrylic acid. In the year 2013 about 85 million tonnes of propene were processed
worldwide. Propene and benzene are converted to acetone and phenol via the
cumene process.

Overview of the cumene process

Propene is also used to produce isopropanol (propan-2-ol), acrylonitrile,
propylene oxide, and epichlorohydrin. The industrial production of acrylic acid
involves the catalytic partial oxidation of propene. Propene is also an
intermediate in the one-step propane selective oxidation to acrylic acid. In
industry and workshops, propene is used as an alternative fuel to acetylene in
Oxy-fuel welding and cutting, brazing and heating of metal for the purpose of
bending. It has become a standard in BernzOmatic products and others in MAPP
substitutes, now that true MAPP gas is no longer available.

Storage and handling

Since propene is volatile and flammable, precautions must be taken to avoid fire
hazards in the handling of the gas. If propene is loaded to any equipment capable
of causing ignition, such equipment should be shut down while loading,
unloading, connecting or disconnecting. Propene is usually stored as liquid under
pressure, although it is also possible to store it safely as gas at ambient
temperature in approved containers