According to a news release, Sinopec’s subsidiary Tianjin Petrochemical Industry has successfully tested a pilot plant for direct steam cracking of crude oil into ethylene, propylene and other chemicals. It is estimated that for every 1 million tons of crude oil processed by this technology, nearly 500,000 tons of chemicals can be produced, including nearly 400,000 tons of high-value products such as ethylene, propylene, light aromatics, and hydrogen. In April 2021, Sinopec’s Yangzhou plant had reported on a new crude oil catalytic cracking technology with similar yields.  A combination of both procedures might lead to yields around 70%. As a next step, Sinopec will design a complete set of technologies for the production of ethylene by steam cracking of one million tons of crude oil at its Tahe Refinery in Xinjiang. In the end, Sinopec expects to shorten the production process, reduce production costs, and significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

The Eight Element Plastic Edition Report, November 11, 2021