Chevron Phillips starts up of world's largest 1-hexene plant

CHEVRON Phillips Chemical Company LP (Chevron Phillips Chemical) announced the successful commissioning and start-up of the world’s largest on-purpose 1-hexene plant. With worldwide supply capabilities, the 1-hexene unit is capable of producing 250,000MT (551,000,000 lbs.) per year and will enjoy significant advantages in infrastructure, feedstock availability and operational knowledge by its placement in the existing Cedar Bayou Chemical Complex in Baytown, Texas.

 With the start-up of this plant, the company will enable its customers to expand their businesses and meet the growing worldwide demand for 1-hexene comonomers.

Chevron Phillips’ investment to expand 1-hexene production is due in part to Texas’ growth as a major international hub for the petrochemical industry and the increased supply of competitive feedstocks in the U.S. from the development of shale resources, according to Pete Cella, CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical. He added that five years ago, the U.S. was expected to become a significant net importer of ethylene derivatives. Now the U.S. is expecting to become a major exporter of ethylene derivatives, including 1-hexene, able to compete with any producing region in the world.

The new plant is the third plant to utilise Chevron Phillips Chemical’s proprietary selective on-purpose 1-hexene technology, which produces comonomer grade 1-hexene from ethylene with exceptional product purity. 1-hexene is a critical component used in the manufacture of polyethylene, a plastic resin commonly converted into film, plastic pipe, detergent bottles, and food and beverage containers.

The proven technology is already successfully used at Qatar Chemical Company Ltd.’s (Q-Chem) facility in Mesaieed, Qatar, and at the Saudi Polymers Company plant in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Both of these facilities are joint ventures of wholly-owned subsidiaries of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC.