Ethylene Producers Research Articles

Towards carbon neutrality: Transition pathways for the Chinese ethylene industry

Ethylene is one of the most important products in the emissions-intensive petrochemical industry. Decarbonizing the ethylene industry is thus important for achieving global carbon neutrality. This study is the first to explore future long-term zero-emissions production pathways for the ethylene industry in China, the world's biggest ethylene producer. An optimization model was built in the context of China's carbon neutrality target of 2060. Four scenarios were developed where the policy ambitions for climate mitigation and for plastic management including waste were varied. Based on this, authors assessed the cumulative total emissions, technology options, future geographical location of ethylene production, and policy challenges associated with each scenario. This is also the first time that scope 3 emissions from waste incineration are included, motivated by the short lifetime of most ethylene products. Results show the cumulative CO2 emissions for the scenarios differ considerably, ranging from 4.3 to 7.8 Gt, even if carbon neutrality by 2060 is achieved in all scenarios. The results suggest that ambitious plastic focused policies can result in lower costs and less cumulative emissions compared to ambitious climate focused policies. The results demonstrate the importance of adopting CCS for waste incineration. This reduces cumulative CO2 emissions by up to 2 Gt. However, reduced overall demand and increased recycling rates should be priority options due to CCS challenges. Results suggest Chinese ethylene industry should adopt a mixed portfolio of production technologies, where the share of emission-intensive coal-based methanol-to-olefins is limited. These findings on decarbonization pathways can contribute to achieving the Paris agreement.

РЫНОК ЭТИЛЕНА В РОССИИ: ОБЗОР, АНАЛИЗ, ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

The Russian ethylene market is a strategically important sector, so its detailed study is of considerable interest. Article «Ethylene market in Russia: review, analysis, prospects» by S.T. Gulina is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the current state and prospects for the development of this market. The study covers key aspects, including analysis of production, production capacity, major eth-ylene producers, consumption, exports, imports and price dynamics. The author, based on the analysis of current trends and projected changes, offers a forecast of market development for the coming years. The work provides valuable information for making informed decisions by specialists working in the field of ethylene production and consumption, as well as for investors interested in the development of this industry.

Effect of antigibberellins on morphogenesis, photosynthetic apparatus, productivity and their residual content in tomato fruits

The application of growth and development regulators on crops in order to optimize their production process is one of the leading tasks of modern plant physiology. Retardants – gibberellin inhibitors are widely used for this purpose. We investigated the effect of foliar treatment with EW-250, ССС-750 and 2-СEPA on morphogenesis, leaf apparatus, content of photosynthetic pigments, indices of chlorophyll fluorescence induction, CO2 gas exchange, and residual amounts of drugs in the fruits of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Bobcat hybrid. The field experiment was laid on plots with an area of 33 m2. The treatment of the plants was carried out at the budding stage. Morphometric indices were determined at the stages of flowering and fruit formation. The chlorophylls content was determined in the raw material by the spectrophotometric method. Indices of photosystem II (PSII) photochemical activity were determined according to the parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence induction after a half-hour exposure of plants in the dark using a portable single-beam fluorimeter "Floratest". The determination of the residual content of retardants in the fruits was carried out on a Shimadzu GC gas chromatograph with a mass spectrometric detector – GCMS- QP2020 EI. All gibberellin inhibitors reduced linear plant size. The number of leaves on the plants decreased under 2-CEPA treatment, and increased after the application of EW-250. Treatment with 2-CEPA decreased, EW-250 significantly increased, and CCC-750 practically did not change the leaves’ fresh and dry weight. Leaf area and leaf index decreased under 2-CEPA treatment, but practically did not change when EW-250 and ССС-750 were applied. All antigibberellin drugs increased the leaf specific leaf weight and thickened the leaf lamina due to the growth of chlorenchyma cells. At the same time, growth inhibitors increased the volume of columnar parenchyma cells and practically did not change the size of spongy parenchyma cells. Retardants increased the chlorophylls content in leaves, while the ethylene producer 2-CEPA did not change this index. The plants’ chlorophyll index after treatment with drugs increased significantly. The whole plant dry weight increased under EW-250 treatment, decreased after 2-CEPA application, and did not change under CCC-750. It was established that the photosynthetic rate increased under the EW-250 treatment, both in the flowering stage and in the stage of fruit formation, while when using 2-CEPA and CCC-750, it occurred only at the stage of fruit formation. The most significant positive changes of PSII photochemical activity indices were observed under the use of EW-250. Under the action of the drug, the maximum and actual quantum efficiency of PSII increased, the linear electron transport accelerated, and the fraction of reaction centers that did not transfer electrons from the primary acceptor QA to QB decreased, at the same time the chlorophyll fluorescence decay coefficient significantly increased, which indicates an increase in the CO2 assimilation intensity. Retardants increased the proportion of the fruit in the whole plant dry weight. All growth regulators increased net photosynthetic efficiency. A significant increase in fruit yield occurred under EW-250 treatment. When using CCC-750, the index tended to increase, while under the influence of 2-CEPA the yield decreased. The residual amounts of EW-250 and CCC-750 in the fruits did not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations.

Dynamic material flow analysis of Chinese ethylene production processes and optimal pathway exploration with potential environmental-economic impacts

China is expected to become the largest ethylene producer globally; environmental problems related with traditional ethylene production process of Chinese petrochemical industry will be further stern. This study aims to propose a feasible and optimal ethylene production expansion pathway to improve the trade-off between the environment and economy. A novel approach was adopted with material-energy-value flow analysis integration by combining dynamic scenario analysis. According to the results of scenario analysis, cleaner and lightweight production processes optimization achieved by adopting the alternative ethylene production process mix alleviated environmental pressure and achieved a weak decoupling of the low-carbon economy. A 26.1% increase in carbon productivity was achieved compared with the baseline scenario, whereas the coal to ethylene route should be phased-out, as more than 90% of the pollutants are generated by 10%–17% of the coal to ethylene facilities. However, CO2 emissions from ethylene will inevitably increase along with doubling ethylene production. An imbalance in pollutant generation also emerges if large-scale naphtha is exclusively promoted for ethylene plant implementation. The study provides methodological support for investigating feasible roadmaps for key product capacity expansion, and has practical meaning for high-quality industrial development domestically and globally.

Anchoring the ethylene-forming enzyme to photosystem-related proteins to improve ethylene production in engineered Synechocystis PCC 6803

Ethylene production in engineered cyanobacteria offers a sustainable alternative to the traditional production from fossil resources. Protein fusions and anchoring strategies are promising routes to augment the stability of recombinant proteins. Here we attempted to anchor the ethylene-forming enzyme (Efe) to several photosystem-related proteins (including D1, PetF, and PsaE) in order to improve the ethylene producing capability in engineered cells of Synechocystis PCC 6803. Generated strains harboring fused Efe with D1 or PetF showed respectively 1.6- and 1.5-fold increase in ethylene production compared to a control strain harboring only Efe. Additionally, strains co-expressing a non-fused Efe with PsaE or PetF showed respectively 3.5- and 3.1-fold increase in ethylene production compared to the control strain. This work demonstrates the feasibility to incorporate (anchor or co-express) target enzyme(s) with specific photosystem components for facilitating highly efficient production of bulk chemicals in engineered cyanobacteria.

PECULIARITIES OF THE MESOSTRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE LEAF AND ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE OF THE TOBACCO STEM UNDER THE ACTION OF GROWTH INHIBITORS

Tobacco plants of Ternopil 14 variety were treated with gibberellin inhibitors 2-CEPA, EW-250 and CCC-750. Under the influence of antigibberellins, the leaf blades of tobacco thickened due to the growth of chlorenchyma. The greatest increase in leaf thickness was found after the use of 2-CEPA and EW-25. These same drugs increased the volume of the cells of the columnar parenchyma. The size of the cells of the spongy parenchyma under the action of gibberellin inhibitors was reduced significantly.CCC-750 was found to increase the number of epidermal cells per unit abaxial leaf surface, while 2-CEPA and EW-250 decreased. All growth inhibitors reduced the number of stomata and increased the area of the stomata. All drugs thickened the layer of the primary periderm, and retardants thickened the layer of the collenchyma. EW-250 increased the size of sclerenchymal fiber cells, while other drugs reduced them. All antigibberellins thickened the membranes of sclerenchyma cells. Ethylene producer increased the thickness of the layer of the secondary periderm, and other drugs reduced this figure. EW-250 increased, 2-CEPA decreased, and CCC-750 did not change the thickness of the xylem layer. The diameter of the largest vessels decreased with 2-CEPA and CCC-750 and did not change after treatment with EW-250.

Metabolic engineering of Zymomonas moblis for ethylene production from straw hydrolysate.

Biological ethylene production is a promising sustainable alternative approach for fossil-based ethylene production. The high glucose utilization of Z. mobilis makes it as a promising bioethylene producer. In this study, Zymomonas mobilis has been engineered to produce ethylene through the introduction of the synthetic ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE). We also investigated the effect of systematically knocking out the competitive metabolic pathway of pyruvate in an effort to improve the availability of pyruvate for ethylene production in Z. mobilis expressing EFE. Guided by these results, we tested a number of conjectures that could improve the α-ketoglutarate supply. Optimization of these pathways and different substrate supplies resulted in a greater production of ethylene (from 1.36 to 12.83 nmol/OD600/mL), which may guide future engineering work on ethylene production using other organisms. Meanwhile, we achieved an ethylene production of 5.8 nmol/OD600/mL in the ZM532-efe strain using enzymatic straw hydrolysate of corn straw as the sole carbon source. As a preferred host in biorefinery technologies using lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock, heterologous expression of EFE in Z. mobilis converts the non-ethylene producing strain into an ethylene-producing one using a metabolic engineering approach, which is of great significance for the utilization of cellulosic biomass in the future. KEY POINTS: • Heterologous expression of EFE in Z. mobilis successfully converted the non-ethylene producing strain into an ethylene producer (1.36 nmol/OD600/mL). Targeted modifications of the central carbon metabolism can effectively improve ethylene production (peak production: 8.3 nmol/OD600/mL). • The addition of nutrients to the medium can further increase the production of ethylene (peak production: 12.8 nmol/OD600/mL). • The ZM532-efe strain achieved an ethylene production of 5.8 nmol/OD600/mL when enzymatic hydrolysate of corn straw was used as the sole carbon source.

PECULIARITIES OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTIVITY AFFECTED BY DEXTREL AND BRADYRHIZOBIUM JARONICUM STRAIN

The effect of 0.3% dextrel with the preceding soybean seed inoculation were studied in concern with linear growth,donor-acceptor system function, productivity and seed capacity formation of Glycine max L. It was apparent that presowingbacterization of seeds with Bradyrhizobium japonicum M 8 in complex with ethylene producer dextrel at the turnto reproductive phase had an impact on morphological features of the experimental plants and their crop quality indices.Slow-growing nodule bacteria influence proved to have a stimulating effect on the growth processes of soybean plants.Mutual interaction of Bradyrhizobium japonicum M 8 and inhibited growth processes affected the redistribution of assimilatersbetween vegetative and generative organs in experimental plants. The use of the growth regulating preparationson soybean plants increased crop yields and positive effect on the quality of Glycine max seeds.Bacterization of seeds by strains and that in complex with growth regulators led to increased branching of the stem,while reducing its height under dextrel. Analysis of plant seeds at the end of the growth period indicated that the complexeffect of preparations caused a maximum increase in oil outcome and a decrease in the amount of sugars. The nitrogencontents in the seeds increased in comparison with the untreated control and did not differ significantly from the variantwith the strain only. Phosphorus contents increased, while potassium did not differ in the variants of the experiment.

ВПЛИВ АНТИГІБЕРЕЛІНОВИХ ПРЕПАРАТІВ НА АНАТОМО-МОРФОЛОГІЧНІ ПОКАЗНИКИ РОСЛИН СОЇ

The specificity of the action of antigibberelin drugs is that they can influence the processes and intensity that cannot be corrected by agronomic measures of cultivation. The purpose of the work was to scientifically substantiate the use of plant growth inhibitors with an antigibberelin type of action as an element of soybean cultivation technology, to identify their effect on growth, development and productivity. The research was carried out on a soybean plants of the Triada variety. At a height of shoots 10-15 cm plants were treated with aqueous solutions: 0.5% tebuconazole, 0.2% ethephon and 0.5% chlormequat chloride until complete wetting of the leaves. Control plants were treated with water. During the research, morphological parameters, leaf surface area, and organ mass were defined. It was established that the use of plant growth inhibitors with an antigibberelinic mechanism of action (the ethylene producer esfone (0,2 %), the triazole-derived retardant tebuconazole (0,5 %) and the onium preparation chlormequat chloride (0,5 %) on soybean plants led to morphological and anatomical changes: decreasing of the mass of leaves and stem, increasing the thickness of the stem and root collar. The preparations reduced the length of internodes of soybean plants,, that created the preconditions for plant resistance to lodging. Plant growth inhibitors had different effects on the leaf surface area of soybean plants: there was an increase in this indicator by 24% for the use of chlormequat chloride, and processing with esfon and tebuconazole led to a decrease of 26% and 23% accordingly. Different effects of retardants were found on the length of the main root. Under the action of esfon the length of the main root decreased by 20%; the application of both chlormequatchloride and tebuconazole, this indication increased accordingly by 43% and 37%. The question of studying the influence of modern plant growth regulators with a different mechanism of action on the productivity of different varieties of legumes remains relevant

Isolation and Screening of Ethylene Producing Bacteria

Soil and fruit samples were collected from agricultural fields and local fruit markets near Coimbatore north region. Yeast-potato extract medium was used for isolation of ethylene producing bacterium, 11 bacteria were isolated and purified for further analysis. Ethylene producing ability was considered for screening the isolates using the Gas chromatography system with the porapak-Q column and flame ionization detector. Out of 11, 7 isolates produced ethylene when L-methionine was supplemented as the precursor. These bacterial isolates were characterized morphologically and biochemically and tentatively identified as Bacillus, E-coli and Pseudomonas sp. The microorganisms producing ethylene provide a potential option to replace artificial ripening agents in the future..

Energy technology roadmap for ethylene industry in China

Ethylene production increases rapidly in recent years in China, which promotes the growth of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Ethylene industry is a technology-intensive industry, for which steam cracking, coal to olefins and methanol to olefins are three main production ways. In view of energy-efficient and low-carbon technology selection, this study aims to find a suitable roadmap to achieve the targets under current policies for China’s ethylene industry by utilizing National Energy Technology model. With this roadmap, we find that the policy goal for steam cracking could be achieved and the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of producing one-ton ethylene could decrease effectively. Specifically, for producing per ton ethylene, energy consumption could be reduced by 16.8% and 17.1% in 2030 compared to 2015 for steam cracking and coal to olefins respectively, and the values of CO2 emissions are 18.1% and 14.8%. In addition, this study makes a discussion about how to achieve a more sustainable development for ethylene industry in China and it is found that both of energy consumption and CO2 emissions could be reduced by about 20% in 2030 compared to the reference scenario. It is proposed that structure of feedstock in steam cracking could be optimized with more light materials and ethylene producing ways need to be planned well. Especially, environmental effect of coal to olefins should be taken into consideration in its process of development. Steam cracking with ethane and methanol to olefins with imported methanol could be encouraged as they can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emission directly.

Features of morphogenesis, accumulation and redistribution of assimilate and nitrogen containing compounds in tomatoes under retardants treatment

<p>We studied the influence of ethylene product Esphon® and triazole derivative Folicur® on the morphogenesis and productivity of tomatoes. The obtained results explained the significant role of morphological and mesostructural components of “source-sink” relation system of tomatoes in the formation of crop productivity. We established that the Folicur application resulted in more significant anatomical and morphological changes in the formation of leaf apparatus in comparison with the ethylene producer: the measurement of number, weight, area of leaf surface, and leaf index were higher in this variant of experiment. We also noted the appropriate changes in the mesostructure measurement of leaves: thickness of leave – main photosynthetic tissue of chlorenchyma, assimilatory cells size of palisade and spongy parenchyma. Analysis of depositing possibilities of plants vegetative organs at the fruitification stage indicates the importance of temporary postponement of nonstructural carbohydrates and nitrogen containing compounds in them followed by reutilization for carpogenesis needs. Application of Folicur resulted on the formation of a more powerful donor sphere and in the early fruit growth and formation stages are postponed more carbohydrates in vegetative organs of tomato plants compared to control. The content of sugars and starch in the roots, stems and leaves of plants under Folicur treatment was highest in all organs of the plant throughout the fruitification phase compared to control and variant with Esphon application. Our results also testify to the possibilities of nitrogen compounds remobilize from vegetative organs to carpogenesis needs. After Folicur treatment, the most intense decrease in the content of nitrogen containing compounds was observed during the transition from the fruit formation stage to green fruits stage in roots and stem of plant during the period of the most intense tomatoes growth. We concluded that a significant increase the yield of tomato crop was caused by the more powerful donor sphere formation and reutilization of assimilates and nitrogen containing compounds after Folicur application.</p>

Ethylene producers brace for US capacity wave

Ethylene producers brace for US capacity wave

Economic Evaluation of Mixed C4’sUpgrading Processes. (Raslanuf Ethylene Plant as a Case Study)

Reducing the operating cost (opex) is a method implemented by Ethylene producers to keep ethylene prices from expensive feedstock more competitive in comparison with cheaper feed stocks like ethane. Alternatively economics maybe improved by upgrading the mixed C4 stream which is produced from ethylene plant and contains valuable unsaturated C4s such as butadiene, isobutylene, butene-1, and butene-2. There are different processing options available to recover these components or turn them into final products. These processing options or routes are combination of different chemical processes such as Total hydrogenation, Butadiene extraction, MTBE production form butylenes, Butane-1 recovery and other processes. Several upgrading options have been proposed and evaluated for Raslanuf ethylene plant c4 feed of about 130000 tonne/y. Internal rate of return IRR , payback time or period PBP, and the net present value NPV, all have been estimated for options which can be implemented at the site; butadiene extraction and metathesis. Because base case results were not definitive, sensitivity analysis was performed. The parameters investigated are sales prices; feed cost, construction time and total investment. .The results suggest butadiene extraction is the best processing option for processing Raslanuf mixed C4 stream.

Impacts of mixed fruit loading on postharvest physiological responses and quality of horticultural produce

Abstract Postharvest supply chain of fresh produce often involves close proximity of fruit with different ethylene sensitivities. Thus, the quality of fruit sensitive to ethylene may be affected due to the exogenous ethylene, produced by other commodities. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of a mixed fruit loading and storage on the physiological and qualitative attributes of fruits. Further on, the effectiveness of ethylene removal using conventional ethylene absorbent sachets as well as an in-house developed ultraviolet light based reactor in such mixed storage was also evaluated. High ethylene producer (apples) was stored along with non-treated green bananas and unripe kiwifruit (highly sensitive to ethylene), at 15 °C for 10 days. Post-storage analysis showed that bananas and kiwifruits stored with apples had significantly elevated respiration and ethylene production rates compared to samples stored alone. Mix loading with apples resulted in a significant decline in tissue strength from 25.01 to 6.44 N for kiwifruits; and a significant increase in total soluble sugars from 2.7 to 21.09% for bananas at the end of storage. The use of ethylene absorbent as well as the reactor reduced ethylene concentration in the storage chamber and slowed down respiration rate in the fruits. However, to preserve fruit quality to a higher extent, further research into development of ethylene removal system with higher ethylene removal rate is suggested. The results obtained also highlight the need of proper separation of fresh produce (based on ethylene sensitivity) during transportation, storage and retail display.

Adsorption of propylene, propane, ethylene and ethane in an isoreticular series of MOF-74 structures

Alkene/alkane separation is the most expensive stage in the process of propylene or ethylene producing. Adsorptive separation with porous solid adsorbents is an alternative way to currently used cryogenic distillation process. In this work by GCMC simulation we investigate propane, propylene, ethane and ethylene adsorption in an isoreticular series of IRMOF-74-I (Mg-MOF-74) structures with different pore size. The adsorption isotherms of pure components as well as the selectivity of binary mixtures of propylene/propane and ethylene/ethane at the pressure fixed at 1 bar with variable composition are determined at 318 K. Also, the snapshots of guest adsorption are used to elucidate the adsorption mechanisms. At low pressure, ethane uptake is the same for all studied structures. IRMOF-74-I has the highest ethylene uptake at low pressure and also ethylene/ethane selectivity among studied MOFs. Open metal site is the first preferential site for adsorbing the guest in all structures. IRMOF-74-II, IRMOF-74-III and IRMOF-74-IV have additional site for adsorbing guest molecules. This additional adsorption site makes propylene and propane uptakes higher than that of IRMOF-74-I at low pressure. The second preferential site of IRMOF-74-II, IRMOF-74-III and IRMOF-74-IV, organic linker, interact with propane and propylene as the same and can’t separate them so IRMOF-74-II, IRMOF-74-III and IRMOF-74-IV have lesser selectivity than IRMOF-74-I. At high pressure, IRMOF-74-IV with largest pore size has the highest uptake for all studied hydrocarbons.

Roles of ethylene and cytokinins in development of defense responses in Triticum aestivum plants infected with Septoria nodorum

Effects of ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid, ET), which is a producer of ethylene, and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), which inhibits ethylene binding with the corresponding receptors, on defense responses caused by the causal agent of leaf blotch (Septoria nodorum Berk.) in leaves of soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) of cultivars contrast in the resistance to the pathogen were studied. After treatment with 1-MCP, an induction of wheat resistance to the disease, more prominent in the susceptible cv. Kazakhstanskaya 10 than in the resistant cv. Omskaya 35, was found. The rise in the resistance was accompanied by rise in zeatin content in leaves, enhanced generation of hydrogen peroxide (most likely, due to the decreased catalase activity and increased peroxidase activity), and accumulation of transcripts of marker genes of the salicylate signaling pathway (PR-1 and PR-2). On the contrary, in ET-treated plants, all the studied defense responses were inhibited, and the pathogen developed more intensively. The effect of ethylene on zeatin distribution in infected wheat leaves of the susceptible cv. Kazakhstanskaya 10 was also found. In the 1-MCP-treated wheat leaves, cytokinins were localized in mesophyll cells and cell walls. In the ET-treated leaves, cell walls were free of zeatin, and the hormone concentrated in developing hyphae of the pathogen. The results allow for the hypothesis that wheat plant resistance is controlled by antagonistic interaction of signaling pathways of salicylic acid and ethylene with participation of cytokinins.

The use of antigibberelins with different mechanisms of action on morphogenesis and production process regulation in the plant Solanum melongena (Solanaceae)

The influence of antigibberelin on the growth, development and productivity of eggplant was investigated. It was established that the use of tebuconazole and chlormequat chloride is a highly effective tool for regulation of morphogenesis and productivity of eggplant. We found that retardants slowed the growth of plants, and increased the number of leaves and leaf area and dry substance weight of the whole plant. Under the influence of Esfon ethylene producers the inhibition of the growth process was not accompanied by increase of the number, weight and area of leaves.Antigibberelin agents caused the thickening of chlorenchyma and the growth of the columnar cells and cell sizes of spongy parenchyma. Under the action of agents the thickness of the upper and lower epidermis of the leaf increased. As a result of mesostructural and morphometric changes of leaf structure under the influence of retardants the leaf index and specific leaf surface density increased.The growth inhibitory agents increased the chlorophyll content in leaves and caused the growth of chlorophyll index in crops.Retardants reduced the content of sugar and starch in leaves because of their enhanced outflow to fruits, the amount of which was predicted to be greater. Under the influence of Esfon the flow of carbohydrates to the acceptor areas was slower.The use of retardants of triazole and onium origin positively influenced the formation of productivity elements of the culture, which led to increase in the fruit yield. The use of tebuconazole was found to be the most effective.

Jumpstarting commercial‐scale CO2capture and storage with ethylene production and enhanced oil recovery in the US Gulf

AbstractCO2capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology has yet to be widely deployed at a commercial scale despite multiple high‐profile demonstration projects. We suggest that developing a large‐scale, visible, and financially viable CCUS network could potentially overcome many barriers to deployment and jumpstart commercial‐scale CCUS. To date, substantial effort has focused on technology development to reduce the costs of CO2capture from coal‐fired power plants. Here, we propose that near‐term investment could focus on implementing CO2capture on facilities that produce high‐value chemicals/products. These facilities can absorb the expected impact of the marginal increase in the cost of production on the price of their product, due to the addition of CO2capture, more than coal‐fired power plants. A financially viable demonstration of a large‐scale CCUS network requires offsetting the costs of CO2capture by using the CO2as an input to the production of market‐viable products. We demonstrate this alternative development path with the example of an integrated CCUS system where CO2is captured from ethylene producers and used for enhanced oil recovery in the US Gulf Coast region. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Ethane as a cleaner transportation fuel.

T recent shale gas revolution has increased the supply of ethane to an unprecedented level. The unexpected surplus of ethane has led to exceedingly low prices and a waste of a resource. Currently, the principal use for ethane is ethylene production. The surplus of ethane is turning into an excess of ethylene. The recent collapse of oil prices has greatly lowered the costs of petroleum-based ethylene, and limits the demand for ethane from ethylene producers. A small proportion of ethane may be blended into natural gas, but the heat value specifications limit the amount of ethane allowed. An increasing amount of ethane will likely be flared, which is a controlled burning of the gas only to get rid of it. Some projections suggest that U.S. ethane production may outgrow demand by hundreds of thousands barrels per day in the coming years. Due to the lack of infrastructure to utilize ethane, it is considered a nuisance in shale gas development. The physical and chemical properties of ethane make it a good a transportation fuel. For the same volume, ethane carries slightly more energy than liquefied natural gas (LNG), but is free from the evaporation loss problem in cryogenic LNG systems. The infrastructure required for ethane transportation are similar to those for compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, where the same cylinder can carry more than twice amount of energy in ethane than in CNG. A typical welding cylinder designed for CNG with 16.5 MPa pressure rating can hold liquid ethane safely. Even in hot summer days, when the liquid ethane completely evaporates, the pressure will not rise above the pressure rating. The promotion of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) is faced with several challenges. The CNG vehicles have significantly shorter driving ranges per refill than their gasoline or diesel counterparts. The LNG vehicles have similar driving ranges to the conventional vehicles, but require expensive cryogenic supply chain. Ethane vehicles offer longer driving range than LNG vehicles without cryogenic systems. Utilizing ethane to replace natural gas in transportation could potentially lower the market barriers to a clean alternative fuel and accelerate the adoption of gas vehicles in the United States. The end-use carbon intensity of ethane fuel is slightly higher than natural gas, but significantly lower than gasoline and diesel. We were unable to locate any assessments on upstream emissions for ethane. However, because ethane is a byproduct in natural gas production, its upstream emissions should be similar to that of natural gas. Figure 1 shows the well-to-wheel