The Changing Landscape of Feedstocks for Chemical Production--Implications for Catalysis: A Workshop; Washington, D.C.; May 2016

【参考译文】近年来，由于页岩地层中天然气的可开采性以及水平钻井和压裂技术（称为水力压裂法）的进步，美国的天然气价格急剧下降。根据目前的估计，未来20年，美国国内近50%的天然气产量将来自页岩气。大型页岩气资源的开发正在振兴美国的化学制造业。来自页岩气田的低成本甲烷、天然气液体（ngl）和凝析油使美国在大宗商品、中间体和精细化学品的制造中重新获得全球成本竞争力。国家研究委员会的化学科学与技术委员会（BCST）将开发并开展一个互动的、多学科的公共研讨会，重点是在化工生产的原料从原油转向天然气的时代，确定催化研究的差距和机会。目前，全球石化制造业正经历着从原油产品转化生产的转变——主要是石脑油，它由一种复杂的碳氢化合物混合物组成，通常含有5到12个碳原子。石脑油被转化为各种轻质碳氢化合物产品，包括燃料油、其他燃料和散装/精细化学前体。这些产品中的许多都是更大规模加工步骤的副产品。例如，生产用于轮胎的丁二烯是由石脑油生产乙烯的副产品。另一方面，天然气主要由甲烷组成，但也包括不同数量的其他烷烃，如乙烷、丙烷和丁烷，这些烷烃在化工市场上被视为原料。其中最重要的是乙烷，它被转化为乙烯，然后是一系列下游产品，从粘合剂到纺织品再到塑料。将原料从石脑油转向乙烷，在为石化行业创造机会的同时，也改变了化学产品的相对可用性，从而影响了它们的成本。例如，乙烯的成本下降了，而丁二烯产能的成本却上升了，因为丁二烯是用于制造乙烯的石脑油/石油裂解的副产品。同样，芳香化学品，如苯乙烯、二甲苯和许多其他产品的成本也在增加，因为它们的生产也是基于石脑油副产品。扩大和改进我们在化工生产中处理甲烷和ngl的能力，有可能显著提高我们从美国页岩气矿床中实现最大经济价值的能力。此次活动将确定催化技术的进步，使美国能够充分发挥页岩气革命对美国化学工业的潜力。它的直接目的是帮助美国研究人员和资助机构在那些对实现这些进步最关键的科学和技术发展领域做出有针对性的努力。例如，研讨会可能导致开发新的甲烷转化为化学中间体的研究；开发新的途径，以简单、廉价的材料和适度的条件将丰富的天然气转化为有用的化学品；这使得传统上作为原油精炼副产品生产的化学品能够有目的地运输。这样的发展将对美国经济和竞争力产生重大的积极影响。

PI: Fryberger, TeresaProposal #: 1524272In recent years, the price of natural gas in the United States has dropped sharply as a result of its availability in shale formations and the technological advancements in horizontal drilling and fractionation techniques (called fracking) to access it. Current estimates predict that almost 50% of U.S. domestic gas production will come from shale over the next 20 years. The development of large shale gas resources is revitalizing chemical manufacturing in the U.S. Low cost methane, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and condensate from shale gas fields are allowing the U.S. to regain global cost-competitiveness in the manufacture of commodity, intermediate, and fine chemicals. The Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST) of the National Research Council will develop and conduct an interactive, multidisciplinary public workshop that focuses on identifying gaps and opportunities in catalysis research in an era of shifting feedstocks, from crude oil to natural gas, for chemical production. Intellectual MeritCurrently, global petrochemical manufacturing is undergoing a shift away from production based on conversion of crude oil products -- primarily naphtha, which consists of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons generally having between 5 and 12 carbon atoms. Naphtha is converted into a wide variety of lighter hydrocarbon products, including fuel oils, other fuels, and bulk-/fine-chemical precursors. Many of these products are produced as byproducts of even larger processing steps. For example, the production of butadiene used for tires is a byproduct of ethylene production from naphtha. Natural gas, on the other hand, consists primarily of methane, but also includes varying amounts of other alkanes, such as ethane, propane and butane, which are valued as feedstocks in chemical markets. The most significant of these is ethane, which is converted to ethylene and then a wide range of downstream products, ranging from adhesives to textiles to plastics. Switching feedstock from naphtha to ethane, while creating opportunities for the petrochemical industry, has also changed the relative availability of chemical products, and thus has impacted their costs. For example, the cost of ethylene has decreased, while the cost of butadiene capacity has risen, as it is a byproduct of naphtha/oil cracking used to create ethylene. Likewise, aromatic chemicals, such as styrene, xylene, and many others are increasing in cost, since their production is also based on naphtha byproducts. Expansion of and improvements to our ability to process both methane and NGLs for use in chemical production have the potential to significantly enhance our ability to realize maximum economic value from U.S. shale gas deposits. Broader ImpactThis activity will identify advances in catalysis that are needed to enable the U.S. to fully realize the potential of the shale gas revolution for the U.S. chemical industry. It aims directly at helping to target the efforts of U.S. researchers and funding agencies on those areas of science and technology development that are most critical to achieving these advances. For example, the workshop could lead to research that develops new methane conversions to chemical intermediates; develops new pathways for converting plentiful natural gas into useful chemicals with simple, inexpensive materials and moderate conditions; and enables on-purpose routes to chemicals that have traditionally been produced as byproducts of crude oil refining. Such developments would have significant positive impacts on the U.S. economy and competitiveness.