Petrochemistry

SCES 2324
 Overview
• Code: SCES 2324
• Pre-requisition: pass SCES 1220
• 2 credits
• Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday (12 - 1 pm), DK 2
• Evaluation:
• 30% continuous assessment
• 70% final examination
• e-mail: hairul_tajuddin@yahoo.com
 Content

 Production of petrochemicals based on gaseous

feedstocks - methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide,
ammonia, methanol, ethane, ethyne, propene, and
butadiene

 Production of petrochemicals based on liquid

feedstocks - benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and
other feedstocks
 Objectives

• Acquire knowledge of various petrochemical

processes

• Acquire knowledge how selected petrochemicals

are produced in industry

• Understand the relationship between theoretical

chemistry with its application in industry
 Reference
 P. Wiseman, Petrochemicals, Ellis Horwood Limited, 1986
 M. J. Astle, The Chemistry of Petrochemicals, Reinhold
Publishing Corporation, 1960
 R. F. Goldstein, A. L. Waddams, The Petroleum Chemicals
Industry, E. & F. N. Spon Ltd. 1967
 A. L. Waddams, Chemicals from Petroleum: An Introductory
Survey, Butler and Tanner Ltd, 1968
 A.V. Hahn, The Petrochemical Industry: Market and
Economics, McGraw-Hill, 1970
Introduction
Petroleum and Natural Gas
 The Raw Materials
 Crude oil recovered from flows Composition by weight
out (reservoir pressure) or
Element Percent range
pumped out
Carbon 83 to 87%
 Different source of location,
different character and quality Hydrogen 10 to 14%

(colour, smell, viscosity etc.) Nitrogen 0.1 to 2%

 Depends on the composition Oxygen 0.1 to 1.5%

and types of hydrocarbons, Sulfur 0.5 to 6%
alkanes, cycloalkanes and
aromatics Metals less than 1000 ppm
 Distribution of oil and natural gas
reserves (%)
Natural
Oil
gas
Africa 9.8 5.9
Asia and Australasia 6.3 5.8
Middle East 54 24.2

Latin America 9.5 5.8

North America 7.3 9.1

USSR and Eastern
10.3 44.3
Europe
Western Europe 2.8 4.9
* P. Wiseman, Petrochemical, Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1986, page 15
 Behind the Scenes

What a chemist can do to petroleum raw products?

 General Process

 Chemical products from petroleum

 Two ways of production:

1. Physical processes
2. Chemical reactions and modification
 Physical – distillation, extraction, crystallization, absorption,
adsorption
 Chemical – cracking, reforming, alkylation, isomerization,
polymerization
 Physical Process

Distillation
 Separation by the difference of volatility or
boiling point
 Most volatile goes on the top
 Requires more than one column
 Usually at atmospheric pressure, high
vacuum or at elevated pressure
 Physical Process
Solvent extraction
 Using of a liquid with selective characterization
 Example: aromatics from paraffins

Crystallization
 To form crystal in a solvent or a molten mixture
 Further separation: filtration or centrifugal
Physical Process
Absorption
 Solvent extraction
 A component of a gas or vaporized mixture in
a liquid

Adsorption
 Using of highly porous materials e.g. activated
charcoal, silica gel
 Condensing on their surface
 Chemical Process
Cracking
 Breaking down of the large molecule into a lower
molecular weight
 Thermal cracking (pyrolysis): without air, very high
temperature OR high temperature and catalyst

Reformation
 Processes designed to upgrade gasoline quality
 Thermal or catalytic reforming, modify molecule
structure, higher anti-knocking rating
 Condition: catalyst/H2
 Chemical Process
Alkylation
 Alkyl group attached to an aromatic or an unsaturated
hydrocarbon
 Product: alkylated aromatic compounds

Isomerization
 Rearrangement of atoms in a molecule
 Normal paraffin to isoparaffin
 Methyl cyclopentane to cyclohexane
Polymerization
 Molecules of single reactant (monomer) linked together
 Copolymerization: two or more monomers involved
 Summary

 Physical processes – distillation, extraction,

crystallization, absorption, adsorption
 Chemical processes – cracking, reforming,
alkylation, isomerization, polymerization

Additional information: focus on feedstock in liquid form