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

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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.