Because of its good mechanical strength and electrical insulation properties, polyolefins can be widely used in packaging, electronics, electrical, automobile, machinery, agriculture and other fields. It is an indispensable important material for all sectors of the national economy, especially with new catalysts. , Polypropylene, Polyethylene, and Polypropylene are the three main materials commonly used in polyolefins.
China has always attached great importance to the production of polyolefins and the development of new technologies and new products, but domestic polyolefin materials have not been able to meet the needs of the domestic market, especially in the areas of high-end supporting markets and functional materials, and domestic polyolefins are a major shortcoming. In 2017, China’s consumption of polyethylene was 26.27 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%; of which imports were 11.79 million tons, an increase of 18.6%. Consumption of polypropylene was 21.88 million tons, an increase of 4.8%; of which imports were 3.18 million tons, an increase of 5.3%. In the ethylene segment, consumption of low-density polyethylene was 5.35 million tons, an increase of 10.2%; of which 2.37 million tons were imported, an increase of 15.7%. Consumption of high-density polyethylene was 10.55 million tons, an increase of 13%; of which 6.39 million tons were imported, an increase of 21.2%. The consumption of linear low-density polyethylene was 8.66 million tons, an increase of 4.7%; of which 3.03 million tons were imported, an increase of 15.8%. Among the above products, the highest degree of foreign dependency was high density polyethylene, exceeding 59%; polyethylene, polypropylene The total deficit was as high as 17.3 billion U.S. dollars. In addition, imports of ethylene, propylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc. also showed rapid growth.
To reverse the current unfavorable situation in the polyolefin industry and move toward high-quality development, we should make vigorous explorations in transformation, innovation and cluster layout. Without increasing innovation, the situation of 'low-end crowded, high-end-deficient' cannot be changed. Innovation The first area that needs attention is the new technology applicable to the upgrading and upgrading of existing plants. We learned during the visit of KBR that the selective cracking technology combined with the existing steam cracker can increase the yield of ethylene; There is a new technology that combines the catalytic cracking device and the existing FCC device, which can realize the diversification of raw materials and increase the yield of propylene.
The second concern is the lightweighting of olefinic feedstocks. The lighter weight of olefinic feedstocks is the direction of development in the petrochemical industry today. The process is simple and the cost advantages are obvious, especially with the US shale gas revolution and a large number of shale oil and gas Production, propane dehydrogenation to propylene and ethane cracking to ethylene production capacity has grown rapidly in recent years. Ethylene cracking and ethylene production in China began to heat up rapidly last year, and is now constructing a 1.2 million-ton/year installation of Xinpu Chemical in Taixing. Media reports There are 7 sets of equipment to be constructed. At present, the amount of ethane imported from the United States is not large. In the later period, regardless of whether an ethane cracking device or a propane dehydrogenation device is to be constructed, the risk of adequate supply of raw materials must be carefully demonstrated.
The third concern is the new olefin process, such as ExxonMobil’s world’s first direct ethylene plant for crude oil, which is said to have been optimized for operation in Singapore and is currently not licensed for external technology. According to media reports, Saudi Aramco and Sapphire are also The successful research and development of crude oil direct ethylene production technology, plans to build 1 million tons / year of industrialized equipment. Another new technology is methane to olefins, Dalian Institute of Chemicals, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Research Institute are all in research and development, Dalian Institute of Chemicals and Sinopec project Signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shabic. In addition, the oxidative coupling process in Siluria, USA has achieved phased results. Of course, the development of China's polyolefin industry will also focus on new processes such as metallocene polymerization and polyolefin elastomers. Products, to avoid product homogeneity and low level of repeated construction.
In terms of industrial layout, the domestic polyolefin industry should focus on building the Hangzhou Bay industrial cluster and building the Chinese version of the Gulf of Mexico Polyolefin Industry Belt. The development potential of Zhejiang Zhoushan Green Petrochemical Base is huge, along with the 40 million tons/year integration project Steady progress and continuous production, together with Zhenhai and Daxie Island, will form the largest refining and chemical integration base for domestic crude oil processing capacity in Ningbo area, especially in accordance with the industrial chain layout of “multi-diversity and less oil”, and a large amount of olefins. Aromatic hydrocarbons will lay a solid raw material foundation for industries such as downstream organic chemicals, chemical new materials, etc. We are confident that Zhoushan Green Petrochemical Base will become an important Sinopec power, and we also hope that Zhoushan Base will highlight cluster development, close to Zhenhai, Datong Island, Yuanshan and Jinshan, Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, even farther north and even Lianyungang, South and Daya Bay, Maoming, Zhanjiang, and other large-scale petrochemical bases for overall planning and layout, both to be coordinated and differentiated, aiming at international standards, Grasp high-end positioning, build industrial clusters, and make the Hangzhou Bay area a Chinese version of the Gulf of Mexico Polyolefins Industry by around 2035 Belt, worth the wait.