1,4-butanediol propylene-based process

The most recent entrant-to the. club of commodity chemicals is 1,4-butanediol (BDO), a petrochemical used in some of the more specialized applications such as chemical intermediates for the production of tetrahydro-furane and gama-butyrolactone, polybutylene terephthalate, and the more familiar polyurethanes. Traditionally, the Reppe process was the primary route to BDO, based bn acetylene and formaldehyde feeds. More recently, the share of BDO from butane and propylene oxide based production has grown rapidly. 

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