(78a) Green Ethylene By Steam Cracking of Renewable Feedstock

Green ethylene is a nascent but growing industry. Companies including Braskem have been producing bio-ethylene by dehydrogenation of sugar cane based ethanol since 2010. The global concern with climate change, and consumer support for decarbonizing the supply chain has created a demand that is expected to grow by over 6% a year over the next decade. New and pending legislation has also encouraged the transition. The majority of global ethylene for polymer production is made with steam cracking of fossil feedstocks. This paper explores opportunities to process renewable feedstock in existing steam cracker plants. The performance of processing hydrotreated vegetable oils, tallow, UCO, renewable naphtha, renewable diesel, and FT-wax are compared. The discussion reviews facilities necessary to prepare renewable feedstock. The pathways offer a route to green ethylene by leveraging and extending the life of existing steam cracker assets while also reducing net carbon emissions.