This Process Economics Program report presents technical and economic appraisals of ethylene-based commercial technologies for production of polyethylene comonomers, namely, 1-butene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene. Although linear alpha-olefin and Fischer-Tropsch processes are currently the major sources for production of these comonomers, their demand is expanding at a faster rate with respect to higher alpha-olefins. This has created opportunites for alternative methods for their production through on-purpose technologies which offer producers a better way to balance productivity according to market demand.
The following three technologies are evaluated:
- Ethylene tetramerization (for 1-octene production)
- Ethylene dimerization (for 1-butene production)
- Ethylene trimerization (for 1-hexene production)
Ethylene tetramerization technology has been analyzed on the basis of information and concepts extracted from the technical articles and patents of Sasol.
Ethylene dimerization technology has been analyzed on the basis of information and concepts extracted from the technical articles and patents of IFP and SABIC.
Ethylene trimerization technology has been analyzed on the basis of information and concepts extracted from the technical articles and patents of Chevron Phillips.
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