What is the feedstock for ethylene?
The two primary feedstocks for ethylene production are naphtha and natural gas (ethane, propane, butane, etc.). During this reaction, hydrocarbons in the feed are cracked into smaller molecules, producing ethylene and co‐products. The cracking reaction is highly endothermic, therefore, high energy rates are needed.
Does natural gas contain ethylene?
Natural sources of ethylene include both natural gas and petroleum; it is also a naturally occurring hormone in plants, in which it inhibits growth and promotes leaf fall, and in fruits, in which it promotes ripening. Ethylene is an important industrial organic chemical.
What is natural gas feedstock?
A feedstock is a raw material that is used to make a useful product in an industrial process. Natural gas liquids and naphtha that is created from crude oil during the refining process are used as feedstocks to manufacture a wide variety of petrochemicals.
How do you make natural gas from ethylene?
Currently, ethylene is produced in a highly energy-intensive two-step process. Ethane is first recovered from natural gas and refinery streams through catalytic cracking and hydrocracking processes, and then it is thermally cracked in the presence of steam to produce ethylene.
Why is ethene described as a feedstock for making industrial substances?
A feedstock is a raw material used to provide reactants for an industrial reaction. A petrochemical is a substance made from crude oil using chemical reactions. For example, ethene is produced from crude oil. It is used as feedstock to make poly(ethene), a polymer.
Is ethene used to make plastic?
Ethene (ethylene) is the most important organic chemical, by tonnage, that is manufactured. It is the building block for a vast range of chemicals from plastics to antifreeze solutions and solvents.
What feedstock means?
A feedstock is defined as any renewable, biological material that can be used directly as a fuel, or converted to another form of fuel or energy product.
How is gas used as a feedstock?
Gases such as butane, ethane, and propane may be extracted from natural gas to be used as a feedstock for such products as fertilizers and pharmaceutical products. In this process, natural gas is exposed to a catalyst that causes oxidization of the natural gas when brought into contact with steam.
What is ethene and methane?
Methane and ethane are simple organic molecules. These are alkane compounds. Both methane and ethane are colorless and odorless gaseous compounds at room temperature. Methane is a major greenhouse gas. Although ethane is also a greenhouse gas, it is less abundant in the atmosphere.
How do you get oil from ethylene?
Ethene is produced from the cracking of fractions obtained from distillation of natural gas and oil. (which can vary considerably), and what other products from cracking are needed. The vast majority of ethene is produced by steam cracking.