Page 178 - CW E-Magazine (19-12-2023)

Indian Petrochem 2023 Conference Indian Petrochem 2023 Conference

SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES conventional hydrogen,” informed surplus) renewable energy supply and be a big exporter,” predicted Mr. Wood-
Mr. Woodcock. good access to water. cock. With industry accounting for over
Legacy steam crackers set to fade away as green 21% of global GHG emissions, the use
The suitability of hydrogen produc- “By 2050, it is projected that 72% of hydrogen – both as fuel, as well as
olefi ns come to the fore tion routes varies with geography, with of the hydrogen demand will be pro- feedstock – will be driven by this sector
CCS more suited to areas with natural duced locally and 28% will be impor- as it aims to achieve decarbonisation,
Steam cracking is unsustainable focus should be on optimising the gas reserves and geological formations ted. Middle East and Australia will be he said. Transpiration and power &
given that it is a high energy and high cracker feed to maximise yields. (for CO storage), and electrolytic big exporters and with the Infl ation heating sectors will be the other key
2
emissions process. This gives rise to hydrogen suited to areas with large (or Reduction Act, North America could also end users, he added.
the need to reduce the carbon intensity Mr. Maitra pointed out that as the
of olefi ns and move to ‘green’ olefi n sun sets over the legacy steam cracker, INDUSTRY DOWNCYCLE
production to meet global net zero tar- various companies and consortiums Global petchem demand to remain lacklustre as China
gets. When considering this shift, the are working on developing ‘new-age’
industry has to address the “trilemma” crackers for making green olefi ns. struggles and supplies surge; recovery seen after 2024
of security, affordability and sustain- These include the H-cracker (Dow-
ability, said Dr. Partha Maitra, Presi- Lummus’ blue hydrogen-based crac- Global polyolefi ns demand is set to decade, only China’s growth rate is
dent – Strategy & Initiatives, Reliance ker); E-cracker (BASF-SABIC-Linde’s remain lacklustre on weak economic predicted to fall under 4% in 2023-38,
Industries Ltd. (RIL). electrically heated steam cracker); fundamentals and a recovery is expec- from the highs of 7% during 2012-22,”
Dr. Partha Maitra N-cracker (Dow’s nuclear-steam cracker ted only after 2024, according to Ms. she said.
Of the various sources of olefi ns like solve this trilemma of security, afford- integration); and EDH (Clariant- Pooja Jain, Associate Director, South
naphtha cracking, C2 or ethane crack- ability and sustainability for the SABIC’s oxidative dehydrogenation Asia, S&P Global Commodity Insights. The primary drivers of polymers
ing, fl uid catalytic cracking (FCC), pro- future,” he said. of ethane to ethylene). He highlighted demand growth in China – rapid eco-
pane dehydrogenation (PDH) and coal- the Coolbrook-led development of the She pointed out that historically nomic growth and working-age popula-
to-olefi ns (CTO), naphtha cracking is According to him, there are three ‘RotoDynamic Reactor’ (RDR) as a the polymer market has maintained tion – are unlikely to match the histori-
the number one in terms of supplies, route to reduce the carbon intensity of disruptive innovation for green olefi ns. a growth rate above GDP growth and cal peaks, she added.
while in terms of affordability ethane olefi n production – electrifi cation of “Instead of heating the feedstock mix- S&P Global Commodity Insights
cracking is the lowest-cost model. crackers, molecule management, and ture from outside the reaction zone, the expects this to continue for the next On the supply side for polyethy-
use of low-carbon sustainable hydro- RDR’s high-velocity rotor blades create decade, in spite of the push towards lene (PE), Ms. Jain said global capacity
“As for sustainability, which was gen. In the move to electrifi cation, the thermal energy to heat the mixture in- sustainability, recycling and reuse. growth is expected to be characterised
not in the equation till few years ago, use of renewable power has to be maxi- side the reaction zone. RDR uses renew- Ms. Pooja Jain by ‘two waves’ one peaking this year
PDH ranks number one, followed by mised and this would mean minimising able electric power, making it the only Asian countries will continue to and trade opportunities. “Even as most and the second in 2026 – at around
FCC. But since so much of olefi ns is the use of fossil fuels to generate steam. technology capable of cutting 100% of drive global demand growth for the countries in this region will continue to 7-mtpa capacity additions – with China
made by cracking, the industry has to As for molecule management, the direct process emissions,” he said. next fi ve years; attracting investments maintain their growth rates of the past and North America leading the world.

TOWARDS NET ZERO
Global Polyolefi n demand addition (MMTPA)
Hydrogen set to play critical role in decarbonisation
12.0 8%
The critical role for clean hydrogen “There is no ‘one-size-fi ts-all;
in decarbonisation was discussed in a approach to clean hydrogen produc- 10.0 Onset of 6%
COVID
presentation made by Mr. Ian Wood- tion, including for carbon capture and
cock, Global Commercial Licensing storage (CCS)-enabled (or blue hy- 8.0 4%
Manager – Chemicals, Johnson Mat- drogen) and electrolytic (green hydro-
they, UK. gen) methods. The carbon intensity of 6.0 2%
hydrogen production varies with techno-
While renewable energy (electri- logy – for the CCS-enabled hydrogen, 4.0 0%
fi cation) will be vital for sectors like it depends on the reforming techno-
light-duty transportation, light industrial logy used and the level of CCS, while 2.0 -2%
process and heating homes, hydrogen for electrolytic hydrogen, it is based on
will have a key role in energy-intensive how the electricity was generated. All 0.0 -4%
industries, heavy & light duty transport, production routes are, however, signi- 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032
PPE
PE
GDP %
YOY %
and aviation. Mr. Ian Woodcock fi cantly less carbon-intensive than
178 Chemical Weekly December 19, 2023 Chemical Weekly December 19, 2023 179

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