The National Petrochemical Company has plans to develop the downstream industry, one of which is construction of propylene from propane units (known as propane dehydrogenation or PDH units) in two plants in Mahshar, Khuzestan Province, managing director of the company said.
In a tour of the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone (Petzone) in the southwestern city, Behzad Mohammadi said: “Propylene is one of the important products in the petrochemical industry. Salman Farsi and Hirsa Polymer Sahand plants are the first of their kind in that will increase production of this costly product,” the Oil Ministry news agency Shana quoted him as saying.
PDH is used to produce polymer-grade propylene from propane independent of a steam cracker or fluid catalytic cracking unit.
Referring to the Petzone as Iran’s petrochemical hub, he added that one third of the total petrochemical output is from plants in the region.
Propylene is the second most important starting product in the petrochemical industry after ethylene. It is the raw material for plastic polypropylene, a component that is mainly used in the automotive, textile and packaging industries.
The primary source of propylene is from cracking naphtha and other liquids such as gas oil and condensates to produce ethylene. However, propane can also be used to produce propylene.
In Iran, propane is produced at the Bandar Imam Khomeini Petrochemical Complex and Bid-Boland Gas Treating Plant and will be used as feedstock for the new PDH plants. At present, about 1 million tons of propylene is produced annually.
Salman Farsi project is underway with foreign technical knowledge and is expected to come on line in the next Persian calendar year (March 2021-2022) with annual production capacity of 450,000 tons of propylene, Mohammadi noted.
Propylene is the second most important starting product in the petrochemical industry after ethylene. It is the raw material for plastic polypropylene, a component that is mainly used in the automotive, textile and packaging industries
The plant has received licensing from Germany’s Uhde GmbH. The German company is involved in engineering, procurement and operation of the project.
Upon completion, Salman Farsi Plant will provide feedstock for nearby petrochemical complexes, including Rejal, Marun and Navid-Zar Chimi.
“Hirsa Polymer Sahand project will produce propylene from propane. It is expected to come online next year with annual production capacity of 150,000 tons,” Mohammadi added. There are plans to implement five PDH projects in Asalouyeh, Bushehr Province.
Ibne Sina Petrochemical Company is another project that will be operational in spring, the official noted. The plant will produce three important products including maleic anhydride, isobutane and normal butane.
An organic compound, maleic anhydride is a colorless or white solid with an acrid odor. It is used in the production of unsaturated polyester resin and coatings, pharmaceutics, agricultural products, surfactants and as additive in plastics.
Global maleic anhydride capacity is expected to grow from 3.20 million tons per annum in 2018 to 3.43 million tons per year by 2023.
Isobutane is a chemical compound that is used as a precursor molecule in the petrochemical industry, for example in the synthesis of isooctane.
Normal butane is a flammable, colorless, mostly nontoxic gas with a natural gas odor. It is used for gasoline blending, as a fuel gas, fragrance extraction solvent, either alone or in a mixture with propane, and as a feedstock for the manufacture of ethylene and butadiene, a key ingredient of synthetic rubber.
Ibn Sina Petrochemical Company is being constructed over 3 hectares in the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone.
With an approximate area of 2850 hectares, Petzone is located on the northern coast of Persian Gulf in Mahshahr.
The zone was set up to advance industrial development especially in the up- and downstream petrochemical sector by attracting new technologies and creating jobs.
The zone has access to international waters through Bandar Imam Port and is connected to Turkey and the Central Asian countries via l railroad.
