UOP Oleflex™ process technology has been selected by China's Longgang Chemical Co.

01-Feb-13

UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that its UOP Oleflex™ process technology has been selected by China's Longgang Chemical Co. to produce key ingredients for fuels and synthetic rubber. Longgang Chemical Co. will use Honeywell's UOP technology to process 175,000 metric tons of mixed butane feedstock annually at its facility in Dongying City, Shandong Province, China. The facility is expected to start-up in 2015. Honeywell's UOP C4 Oleflex process will be used to convert refinery-derived isobutane to isobutylene, a valuable petrochemical used in the production of fuels and synthetic rubber. This is UOP's second C4 Oleflex process license in China. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywell's UOP will provide basic engineering, catalysts, adsorbents, specialty equipment and engineering for the project. "As the demand for petrochemicals grows, especially in China, producers are looking for ways to maximize product yields while reducing production costs," said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell's UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit. "Honeywell's UOP technology will help China meet growing demand efficiently and more profitably. This project is yet another milestone for UOP's Oleflex technology, and we look forward to working with Longgang Chemical." The C4 Oleflex process uses catalytic dehydrogenation to convert isobutane to isobutylene. Compared with competing processes, Honeywell's UOP C4 Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint. The superior performance of Honeywell's UOP technology stems from its low capital costs, high isobutylene yields, low energy and water consumption, and use of a fully recyclable platinum alumina-based catalyst system. Unique to the Oleflex process, independent reaction and regeneration systems are in place that allow continuous use of catalysts for steady-state operations (non swing-bed), which helps maximize operating flexibility, on-stream factor and reliability.