Grace Gives Unipol License to Canadian PP Project

US technology and chemical company W.R. Grace has granted a license for its Unipol PP process technology to Canada Kuwait Petrochemical Corp. (CKPC), a 50:50 joint venture between Pembina Pipeline and Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC). Financial terms were not disclosed.

The PP plant will be integrated with a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility to be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, Canada. It would be the world’s largest single PP line, according to Grace, capable of producing 550,000 t/y of homopolymer, random copolymer and impact copolymer thermoplastic resins.

CKPC’s chairwoman, Hosnia Hashim, said Grace’s Unipol process was chosen because it offered a broad product capability in large volume, general purpose PP products as well as specialty products.

Last month, CKPC announced it had chosen Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex technology for the PDH plant, which will produce 550,000 t/y polymer-grade propylene. Honeywell will also provide the process design package, equipment, on-site operator training, technical services for start-up and continual operation, as well as key catalysts and adsorbents.

John Gugel, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP’s Process Technology and Equipment business, said that the use of lighter feedstocks (such as ethane) has dramatically reduced the amount of propylene that is traditionally co-produced with ethylene from crackers using liquid feedstocks, such as naphtha. “Honeywell UOP’s Oleflex process addresses the growing propylene supply gap by producing on-purpose propylene from propane, which is in abundant supply,” he said.

CKPC’s proposed PDH unit will consume 22,000 bbl/d of propane from Pembina Pipeline’s Redwater fractionation complex and other regional facilities.

The company plans to make a final investment decision on the project late next year.