The Petrochemical Research & Technology Company has acquired the knowhow of producing propylene, deputy managing director of National Petrochemical Company said.
“A trial propylene plant, which is currently producing one ton of the product per day, is ready to go on stream beside Shazand Petrochemical Company in Markazi Province,” Mohammad Hassan Peyvandi was also quoted as saying by Shana.
"This shows that the company, one of NPC’s subsidiaries, is capable of employing cutting-edge technology for the material's mass production." Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications, including packaging and labeling, textiles, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers and automotive components. In 2013, the global market for polypropylene was projected to be about 55 million tons.
“The Economy Council has approved a plan for producing propylene from methanol with a capacity of 120,000 tons in Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Economic Zone,” he said, adding that the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, in cooperation with foreign companies, is likely to participate in plans with a production capacity of 500,000 tons.
Esmaeil Qanbari, RIPI’s managing director, announced in February that the company was in talks with the French company Air Liquide for building a 500,000-ton propylene unit.
Air Liquide is a French multinational company that supplies industrial gases and services to various industries, including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers.
Qanbari added that the company has also held negotiations with companies from Germany, Norway and Japan on purchasing petrochemical knowhow.
He also said that the company has set up a trial methane-to-propylene unit in the port city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan Province.
Peyvandi stressed that the acquisition of knowhow will pave the way for methanol-to-propylene plans in future, saying the plan was the result of one and a half years of efforts, which could urge methanol producing enterprises to enter propylene industry.
The Persian Gulf country currently produces 4-5 million tons of methanol, which is expected to reach 18-20 million tons in five years.
