What Are Alkenes?

Alkenes are hydrocarbons containing C = C bonds (carbon-carbon double bonds) (olefinic bonds). They are unsaturated hydrocarbons and are divided into olefins and cyclic olefins. According to the number of double bonds, they are called monoolefins and diolefins. One of the double bonds is a bond with high energy, which is unstable and easily broken, so an addition reaction occurs.

The physical properties of olefins can be related to

Olefinic

The most common industrial synthesis route is the cracking of petroleum.

Alkenes can be synthesized by dehydration of alcohol. For example, ethanol dehydration produces

China's annual olefin production is expected to reach 56 million tons ^[3]

On December 3, the world-renowned accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu released the "China Coal to Olefins Industry Report" for the fourth quarter of 2012.

The "Report" predicts that by the end of the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan", China's annual olefin production capacity can reach 56 million tons, and the uncertainty of new methanol-to-olefins projects may cause further expansion of production capacity. Taking into account the new capacity and the slowdown in demand growth, the olefin industry may have overcapacity in the next few years. After 2015, excess capacity may accelerate.

The profitability of coal-to-olefin projects is greatly affected by fluctuations in oil prices and coal prices. According to Deloitte's financial model, when the price of oil drops below $ 80 per barrel, coal-to-olefin projects may lose money.

Long-term optimism in the olefin market

Liu Zhongmin, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the chief scientist of the DMTO, revealed that 18 sets of DMTO technology have been licensed to the outside world, with a total annual production capacity of more than 10 million tons. Among them, Ningbo Heyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. s 600,000 tons / year methanol to olefins ^[4] project will be put into operation around the Spring Festival, a 679,000 tons / year DMTO-II industrialization demonstration project jointly constructed by Shaanxi Coal and Three Gorges Group, and extending China Coal The large-scale comprehensive utilization project of Jingbian Park with an annual output of 600,000 tons / year DMTO, 600,000 tons / year polypropylene, and 600,000 tons / year polyethylene will be completed and put into operation in 2014. Taking into account the 1.76 million tons / year coal-to-olefins production capacity already formed, by 2015, China's methanol-to-olefins production capacity will reach 9.76 million tons. Adding three sets of 1.65 million tons / year imported ethane / propane to olefins projects built in Tianjin and other places, the domestic non-oil route olefin production capacity will reach 11.41 million tons.