Benzene
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Benzene is a colorless, highly flammable liquid organic chemical com-pound and a known carcinogen with a sweet odor and a relatively high melting point. It is an important industrial solvent and precursor in the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber, and dyes. It is pro-duced from coal since 1849 and from petroleum since 1941. It is a natural constituent of crude oil, but it is usually synthesized from other compounds present in petroleum. Benzene is known as an "aromatic hydrocarbon" and the second [n]-annulene ([6]-annulene) a cyclic hydrocarbon with a continuous pi bond. Because of the distinctive smell of benzene (and related com-pounds), the benzene family is classified as "aromatic"; thus the name, aromatic hydrocarbon.
TECHNOLOGY/PROCESS/FEEDSTOCK
Until World War II, benzene was produced as a by-product of coke production or coke-oven light oil in the steel industry. However, in the 1950s, increased demand for benzene, especially from the growing plastics industry, necessitated the production of benzene from petro-leum. Currently, a high proportion of benzene comes from the petro-chemical industry, with only a small fraction being produced from coal. Four chemical processes are used in industrial benzene produc-tion. They are:
• Catalytic reforming,
• Toluene hydrodealkylation,
• Toluene disproportionation, and
• Steam cracking
CATALAYTIC REFORMING
In catalytic reforming, a mixture of hydrocarbons with boiling points be-tween 60–200 °C is blended with hydrogen gas and then exposed to a bifunctional platinum chloride or rhenium chloride catalyst at 500–525 °C and pressures ranging from 8–50 atm. Under these conditions, ali-phatic hydrocarbons form rings and lose hydrogen to become aro-matic hydrocarbons. The aromatic products of the reaction are then separated from the reaction mixture (or reformate) by extraction with any one of a number of solvents, including diethylene glycol or sul-folane, and benzene is then separated from the other aromatics by distillation.
TOLUENE HYDRODEALKYLATION
Toluene hydrodealkylation converts toluene to benzene. In this hydro-gen-intensive process, toluene is mixed with hydrogen, then passed over a chromium, molybdenum, or platinum oxide catalyst at 500–600 °C and 40–60 atm pressure. Sometimes, higher temperatures are used instead of a catalyst (at the similar reaction condition). Under these conditions, toluene undergoes dealkylation according to the chemical equation:
C6H5CH3 + H2 → C6H6 + CH4
STEAM CRACKING
Steam cracking is the process for producing ethylene and other al-kenes from aliphatic hydrocarbons. Depending on the feedstock used to produce the olefins, steam cracking can produce a benzene-rich liquid by-product called pyrolysis gasoline. Pyrolysis gasoline can be blended with other hydrocarbons as a gasoline additive, or distilled (in BTX process) to separate it into its components, including benzene.
END USE
Benzene is mainly used as an intermediate to produce other chemicals. Its most widely-produced derivatives include styrene, which is used to make polymers and plastics, phenol for resins and adhesives (via cumene), and cyclohexane, which is used in the manufacture of Nylon. Smaller amounts of benzene are used to make some types of rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, explosives, napalm and pesticides.
The YnFx Nylon Chain Report 2008 has them in the order of their capacities worldwide, Major Investments etc
The detailed industry analysis on Benzene Trends in Demand-Supply, Emerging markets, is captured in the Nylon Chain Report 2008 published by Yarnsandfibers.com
AN OVERVIEW
Global benzene production touched 40.8 million tons in 2007, an increase of 3.9% over previous year. Thus, both 2006 and 2007 have seen benzene production increase at similar rate. However, capacity expansion has been faster in than the output. At 46.89 million tons, the global benzene production capacity was up 4.4% or by 1.98 million, the highest annual addition in the past 10 years.
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The complete Nylon Chain Report 2008 also covers analysis on caprolactum and nylon markets
Price Trends
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