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LyondellBasell says licensed petrochemicals technology can deliver optimum cost effectiveness for Middle East producers

To be successful in the petrochemicals industry, producers should have competitive feedstock terms. But with no technology to process these feedstocks, it is like having a meal without being able to chew it.

One of the biggest technology licensors in the world is LyondellBasell. It provides process technologies for the production of polymers to the majority of the top petrochemicals producers. As well as being a technology provider, it is also one of the world’s largest petrochemicals companies.

“We produce more than 8 million t/y of polypropylene and more than 5 million t/y of polyethylene,” says Martijn Vogelzang, divisional director business development, new ventures, at LyondellBasell Industries. “We are the world’s largest producer of polyolefins,” he adds.

The company provides a wide range of technologies for different product applications.

“LyondellBasell is the only licensor offering process technologies for the world-scale production of all polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) product families, as well as a diversified portfolio of chemical technologies,” says Vogelzang. “Our technologies are among the most reliable, efficient and cost-effective in the world,” Vogelzang adds.

“Our technology business commercialises the know-how of LyondellBasell’s proprietary process technologies and polyolefin catalysts by selling licences and services to investors - enabling them to construct and operate new production lines and to sell their respective products globally,” explains Vogelzang.

The company is a leader in providing polyolefin technologies. “Most of the world’s top ten PE and PP producers operate one or more LyondellBasell-licensed process technologies,” says Vogelzang.

All polyolefin technologies are available for open licence. These include: Spherizone, Spheripol and Metocene for polypropylene processing, and Lupotech, Spherilene and Hostalen for polyethylene.

A large array of chemical technologies are available for open licence. “LyondellBasell’s propylene oxide and metathesis technologies are only licensed in joint venture partnerships,” reveals Vogelzang.

Most of the crackers that are currently coming on stream are based on gas or LPG feedstock. “This results in propylene yield that is lower than conventional liquid crackers and has subsequently led to a series of investments in purpose-built propylene plants through the propane dehydrogenation (PDH) process,” he says.

Both PDH as well as polypropylene plants have to be on a par with global standards so as to arrive at optimum cost effectiveness. “Our polypropylene capacities are designed for such capacities,” Vogelang indicates, with some confidence.

“In order to stand out from the crowd, it is necessary to have competitive feedstock, access to market, a good partner and the right technology,” Vogelzang concludes.

Fingertip Facts
Company: LyondellBasell
Number of employee: 15,000
Annual revenue: US$50bn
Manufacturing sites: 50 in 19 countries