CHE.06 – Ethane to Ethylene: Cracking the Emissions Problem

• Carleigh Barringer
• Cesar Jimenez Ramirez
• Kayla Klein
• Rahim Sajwani
• Angela Sianturi

Ethylene is one of the most important chemical compounds and is used to produce items such as plastics, fibers, PVC and more. Current method used to produce ethylene involves steam cracking of ethane at 850 degrees Celsius, with heat obtained through combustion of natural gas. Generating heat through this method produces high amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides. A greener way to produce ethylene was analyzed, utilizing selective hydrogen combustion to generate heat in presence of metal oxide catalyst through a fluidized bed reactor, thus lowering greenhouse emissions by 80%. The national supply chain of ethylene is currently concentrated in the Gulf Coast region, which makes it highly susceptible to disruptions. This was addressed by selection of the Appalachia region as the design basis to produce 830,000 tons of ethylene per year. Pure ethane was used as feedstock for the process instead of natural gas due to abundant supply present within the selected region. Feasibility of the designed process was proven through Aspen Plus simulation and available industrial data. Process economics as well as safety and environmental analysis were also performed and compared to the current leading process. The overall solution showed promising results and was proven to be a viably greener method for ethylene production.