Iran will no longer need to import the main catalysts used in the petrochemical industry by 2023, managing director of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company said.
“Of the 40 types of catalysts used in the petrochemical industry, 20 groups have been indigenized. By the end of the current Iranian year [March 2022], eight more groups will be localized while the remaining 12 groups are being developed now,” the National Petrochemical Company news website Nipna also quoted Majid Daftari as saying.
In recent years, despite the sanctions imposed on Iran, which hampered the import of petrochemical catalysts, experts and engineers at PRTC, in collaboration with knowledge-based companies, launched efforts to meet the needs of petrochemical plants by indigenizing the catalysts, he added.
A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction but is not consumed by it. Most solid catalysts are metals or oxides, sulfides and halides of metallic elements and semi-metallic elements such as boron, aluminum and silicon.
The domestically-produced catalysts are worth $123 million. Iranian companies annually use at least 23,000 tons of catalysts.
Catalyst consumption is rising and local companies are improving their R&D to not fall behind foreign competitors.
Referring to potentials for exporting catalysts and their technical know-how to other countries, Daftari said, “Negotiations have been held with some neighboring countries by the private sector and we hope to begin the export of products in the near future.”
PRTC is the mainstay for research and production of technology in all petrochemical fields. It creates tech security and contributes to economic growth by exporting know-how.
First GTPP Plant
Outlining other activities of PRTC, Daftari said Eslamabad-e-Gharb Petrochemical Plant in Kermanshah Province is the first project implemented with the technical know-how of PRTC.
The project converts natural gas to methanol, methanol to propylene and propylene to polypropylene, he added.
The construction of the plant, which is the first of its kind in Iran, started earlier this year and has so far registered 6% progress.
The project involves the construction of a gas-to-polypropylene (GTPP) plant to be carried out by domestic engineers.
Eslamabad-e-Gharb Petrochemical Plant will be built in three phases. In the first phase, natural gas will be converted to methanol. It is estimated to produce 660,000 tons per year.
The second phase is the conversion of methanol to propylene with an annual capacity of 120,000 tons and the last phase will be the production of polypropylene with a capacity of 120,000 tons per year.
Stretching over 54 hectares in Eslamabad-e-Gharb County, the plant will create 4,500 direct jobs during the construction phase and contribute to growth in the western province by creating jobs.
When operational, 2.1 mcm of natural gas will be delivered to the plant a day, most of which will go to the sixth national gas pipeline from Asalouyeh and a part to Ilam Refinery.
Polypropylene – the world's second-most widely produced synthetic plastic after polyethylene – is used in a variety of applications, including packaging and labeling, textiles, carpets, stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive parts and polymer banknotes.
The global polypropylene market was worth $126 billion in 2019. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12% and reach $192.3 billion by 2023.
Rising demand for thermoplastic materials contributed to the growth of the polypropylene market. Due to its unique chemical properties, thermoplastic materials can be recycled and remolded without affecting its physical properties making thermoplastic materials more useful in applications such as clothing and packaging of food products and beverages.
Currently, 950,000 tons of propylene are produced annually. It is expected to reach 4.5 million tons with the launch of several projects in Mahshahr, Amirabad, Anzali and Asalouyeh.
