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Good morning. What do you think about electric cracking? Potentially feasible or a pipe dream?

From the condenser:

· Braskem and Coolbrook's electric cracker

· UPM's bio-based MEG for coolants

· MOTD: isopropyl alcohol

Braksem might want to try Coolbrook's electric cracker

Brazilian petrochemical company, Braskem, might partner with electric heater technology company, Coolbrook, to demonstrate large-scale electric cracking.

Setting the scene:

Steam crackers are the foundation of the petrochemical industry. The enormous units break down hydrocarbons (like naphtha or ethane) into the reactive components (ethylene, propylene, etc.) that we combine to make the most of the world's chemicals and materials. It's an energy-intensive operation no matter how you go about it, but right now it's driven by heat, and we make that heat by combusting hydrocarbons like natural gas. The CO2 produced by that combustion is where the majority of petrochemical emissions come from, so with increasing pressure to reduce emissions, companies have been searching for ways to electrify the operation.

Okay, so what's the deal here?

Coolbrook is developing an electrically-driven turbine that repeatedly accelerates gas molecules to supersonic velocities and then decelerates them to subsonic velocities—which reportedly imparts enough kinetic energy to heat some gases up to 1700°C (this interview has more detail). They just ran their pilot for the first time last month and it went well, so they're looking for partners to build their first demonstration scale site. The agreement they signed with Braskem is basically just them saying that they're talking about it.

Connecting the dots:

We've talked about electrifying crackers before. There seems to be two main "teams": BASF, SABIC, and Linde are working on it together, and Dow and Shell are working on it together. But even though both of those "teams" are closer to building a demonstration scale unit, they're both going about it via resistive heaters in some form or fashion (like the heating element in your oven). Apparently those heaters struggle to exceed the 500°C threshold, and since cracking works better hotter there could be significant economic benefits to using Coolbrook's technology.

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UPM's ethylene glycol will be bio-based engine coolant

Finnish timber company, UPM, is going to work with Germany's Haertol Chemie to develop engine coolants with it's bio-based ethylene glycol (MEG).

Some context:

UPM has a long history of operating sawmills, producing pulp, and making paper—but in 2020 UPM started building a $650 million bio-refinery to convert industrial wood and saw dust into 220,000 tons per year of sugars and renewable functional fillers. Those sugars can then be converted into mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) and mono-propylene glycol (MPG) via Coca-Cola's saccharide cracking technology, and those renewable functional fillers can be used as substitutes for carbon blacks and silica in rubber tires.

Okay, so why partner?

Engine coolant is basically just a mixture of MEG (92-95%) and small amounts of other additives to prevent that MEG from oxidizing into a bunch of undesired acids. Haertol Chemie is who combines those ingredients and sells coolant under the Frostox brand, so partnering with Haertol basically just means that UPM has found someone willing to bring some of its future bio-based MEG to market (start up is meant to be by the end of this year).

Zooming out:

We normally make MEG by steam cracking naphtha or ethane to make ethylene, oxidizing that ethylene to make ethylene oxide (EO), and then hydrating that EO to make MEG. The alternate route we typically talk about is really just an alternate route to ethylene (by fermenting glucose to make ethanol, and then dehydrating that ethanol). UPM's route skips ethanol, ethylene, and EO, just like Braskem and Sojitz's monosaccharide crackers.

Some more headlines

• CP Chem agreed to buy Nexus Circular's pyrolysis oil from its upcoming site in Atlanta

• Petrobras is trying to sell its refinery in Fortaleza, Brazil

• Dow Chemical announced a quarterly dividend of 70 cents per share

• The US sanctioned 9 companies for trading with Iran's petrochemical industry

• Louisiana's Governor called out the EPA for being slow to issue CCS permits

Molecule of The Day

Today's MOTD is the one you've been asking for… isopropyl alcohol.

First produced industrially by Standard Oil in 1920 by the hydration of propylene, the world now produces some 2 million tons of the alcohol each year.

Best known colloquially as rubbing alcohol, this molecule finds most of its use as a solvent for non-polar compounds. As a result you'll find it as an ingredient in the products sold by the cosmetics, personal care, pharmaceutical, paints, and coatings industries (here'sa helpful pie chart). While it can be converted into acetone, it's rarely done in practice because the cumene process is more economical in today's environment.

The main companies making all this isopropyl alcohol are Dow Chemical, ExxonMobil, Shell, and INEOS.

The reboiler

• Podcast: Check out this episode featuring a former Global R&D Director at Dow Chemical about sustainability and circular economy.

• Video: Are you still a student? Give Shawn Esquivel's video on the most important skills to learn a watch.

• Previous Edition: Did you miss The Column's January round up? Give it a read over here.

The bottoms

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