Published October 1993
C4 mono and di-olefins are by-products produced from ethylene cracking in petro chemical plants and fluid catalytic cracking in refineries. Excesses and shortages occur as the main product demand grows disproportionally to the by-product demand. Supplies of butadiene, primarily produced by ethylene cracking, have progressed from a shortage in the 1950s and 1960s, through a relative balance in the 1980s to a surplus in the 1990s. In creased demand for ethylene has led to more butadiene by-product yield because naphtha is the predominant feedstock used in Western European and Asia-Pacific countries. In contrast, isobutene supply from the traditional by-product sources is rapidly becoming inadequate to meet the demand for methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) production, especially in the United States, to produce cleaner burning gasoline. In response to these imbalances, we explore some alternative uses for excess butadiene and options for additional isobutene supply.
