Propylene oxide Economic data

Table 7.4 gives economic data on the synthesis of propylene oxide by chlorohydrin processes and by indirect oxidation passing through r-butyl hydroperoxide. 

The main economic data concerning the process for manufacturing propylene glycol by hydration of propylene oxide are summarized in Table 7.10. 

The only industrial method for producing tertiary butyl alcohol is based on a variant of the Oxirane /ARCO Chemical) process for manufacturing propylene oxide,in which isobutane is used as a co-reactant and the alcohol is a co-product The technological analysis of this scheme and the related economic data are given in Section 724, which discusses the manufacture of propylene oxide. 

If a company is in the business of making and selling products such as acetic acid, vinyl chloride, propylene oxide, or other chemicals and has plans to stay in business and to expand its facilities to serve growing markets, it at least must have economically competitive processes. Today this means being competitive with not only any new processes developed in the United States, but also with any new process technology developed in Western Europe, Japan, and Russia—for the chemical industry is a worldwide industry. This is readily apparent from the data in Tables 1.10, 1.11, and 1.12, which describe the sales for the largest chemical producers in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, respectively. Further, the processes that are operative must be environmentally compatible—all toxic or carcinogenic by-products or waste must be contained and disposed of harmlessly. Even a relatively innocuous by-product such as salt must be disposed of so as not to intrude on the environment. 

Propylene demand will grow to the 11-billion lb level by 1973. Propylene from either heavier ethylene feed stocks or European imports will not alleviate the shortage completely. On the other handy it is not expected that price will exceed 3.1 cents/lb. In spite of decreasing propylene availability, refiners will consider release of alkylate stocks at this level. Development of an economic process for direct propylene production is in the future. Dehydrogenation or iodinative partial oxidation processes for propylene from propane are neither commercially proved nor have they been demonstrated to have economic promise. Dehydrogenation in the presence of sulfur may bypass propane dehydrogenation equilibrium limits, and preliminary experimental data are presented. 

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