Get to Know Olefins & the Uses in the Petrochemical Industry

In the petrochemical industry, olefins are often the primary materials. Olefins are one of the aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds having a double bond. Generally, ethylene and propylene are two olefin products frequently used as raw materials in the petrochemical industry.

Then, what is olefin? This article thoroughly discusses olefins and their usage in the petrochemical industry. So, read the complete information until the end!

What Is Olefin?

Olefins are unsaturated hydrocarbons with double bonds. It is a carbon compound having at least one double bond (C-C) with a bit of hydrogen. Olefin has a general formula of C2H2n.

In general, hydrocarbon compounds are one of the most common simple organic chemical components found in nature and are used to process petroleum and natural gas.

For olefins, they are generally used to produce ethylene and propylene.

Olefin is a hydrocarbon compound with a density of less than 1. Also, the boiling point will increase as the number of carbon atoms increases. This compound can produce CO2 and H2O in the combustion process.

Not only that, olefin can undergo double-bond cleavage when contacting with H2, halide acids, and halogens. This process will turn it into an alkane with new properties based on the compound mixture.

For example, by doing double-bond cleavage on olefin and H2 (propene), you can make products like plastic bottles, plastic fiber, and plastic ropes. There are also some examples of olefin compounds, such as:

Ethane: Found in plastic-making materials, like polyethylene.
Propene: Found in raw materials for chemical synthesis, like polypropylene.
Butene: Found in the production process of polymer and chemical.
Pentylene: Compound used in organic synthesis.
Hexene: Found in plastic production and chemical compounds.
Cyclohexene: Used in organic synthesis and solvent.
Octaiene: Combustible organic compound.

These olefin compounds will go through a series of processes and other material mixtures to be final products used by other industries or consumers.

Products containing olefins include Crude C4, Pyrolysis Gasoline (Pygas), and Pyrolysis Fuel Oil (PFO). Chandra Asri Group sells the three products by ensuring high and strict management and making sure that the quality is optimal before being marketed.

The Structure of Olefins

As explained before, olefin is an unsaturated hydrocarbon compound with one or more C-C (carbon-carbon) and a general formula of C2H2n (n is the number of carbon atoms in the chain). To figure out the in-depth explanation of olefin’s structure, read the information below:

1. Bond

A double bond can be illustrated as overlapping atomic orbitals. A C-C double bond has one pi bond and one sigma bond. A C-C double bond is stronger than a single covalent bond and has an average length of 133 pm.

Three sp² hybrid orbitals are used by each carbon atom in the double bond to make sigma bonds with three additional atoms consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one carbon atom.

With half of the bond on one side of the molecule and another half on another side, this bond is outside the primary C–C axis.

In addition, it is difficult to rotate the carbon-carbon double bond because of much energy needed to align the p orbital on two carbon atoms. For compounds with three or four different substituents, the E–Z notation can be used to name more complicated olefins.

2. Physics Properties

Olefin’s physics properties are similar to alkane. Alkane is a saturated hydrocarbon compound with the most simple bond. Olefin and alkane are colorless, combustible, almost odorless, and nonpolar.

What makes both compounds different is that the acidity level of olefin is higher than that of alkane. Moreover, olefin has a physical appearance based on the molecule mass.

3. Appearance

The VSEPR electron pair repulsion model shows that the molecular geometry of olefins has bond angles of approximately 120° around each carbon in the double bond. However, steric interactions between functional groups attached to the carbons in the double bond can cause these angles to change.

4. Reaction

Compared to alkane, olefin is a more reactive molecule but is relatively stable. This is because of the presence of allylic CH hubs and the reactivity of carbon-carbon pi bonds. In most olefin reactions, pi bonds are added to create new single bonds.

Olefin is a compound that can be used as a material in the petrochemical industry because it participates in some processes, such as polymerization and alkylation.

The Use of Olefin in the Petrochemical Industry

In the petrochemical industry, olefin is often used to produce various products. Some products made of this hydrocarbon compound are as follows:

1. PVC

PVC or polyvinyl chloride is a type of plastic used to produce floor coating and pipe. PVC is also used in the adhesive and construction industry.

2. Polyethylene

Polyethylene is a type of plastic that is commonly used in production. Typically, you will find the polyethylene label on plastic bottles, plastic bags, and plastic containers. This product also contains additional materials, like plasticizers and dye.

3. Polypropylene

Polypropylene is usually used to make plastic products, like plastic ropes and sacks. Polypropylene is also considered stronger than polyethylene.

4. Ethylene Glycol

Ethylene glycol is commonly used as an antifreeze in car radiators, hydraulic brake fluid, stamp ink, pen ink, solvents, cosmetics, films, and plastics.

5. Ethanol

Ethanol is also known as alcohol and is often used as fuel as well as raw materials for products like acetic acid.

6. Isopropyl Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol is a clear and bitter liquid found in acetone, hair tonic, rubbing alcohol, body lotion, and many more.

7. Glycerol

Glycerol is used in various industries, such as cosmetic, explosive, and food industries. Typically, you can find glycerol in skin moisturizers and nitroglycerin.

Those are the information about olefins you must know. Olefin products are widely used in various industries. However, to produce quality products, quality olefins are also needed.

Regarding this, Chandra Asri Group provides top-notch olefins for various industries, such as ethylene, propylene, pyrolysis gasoline, pyrolysis fuel oil, and crude C4.

Chandra Asri Group also provides polyolefins, styrene monomer, butadiene, ethylene dichloride, caustic soda, and B1MTBE to be used in various productions in the petrochemical industry.

You can find information related to Chandra Asri Group's business on the official website and social media!