Ethylene
The largest-volume organic chemical, a two-carbon gas cracked from ethane or naphtha and turned mostly into polyethylene, glycols and PVC.
Commodity chemicals · Olefins · No. 23
- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
- about 180-185 Mt produced a year (2024, indicative: 231 Mt capacity x about 80% utilisation; Argus put 2023 demand at 174.3 Mt)
- 1.6 t CO₂e per t
- HS 290121
The world added 48 Mt of ethylene capacity in five years, mostly in China; Asian crackers then lost money three years straight.
Chart: Illustration: Ethylene
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Ethane, propane or naphtha is heated with steam to about 850 C in a cracker, then the gas is chilled to about -100 C to separate polymer-grade ethylene.
Three things to know
- Ethane crackers in the US and Gulf turn about 80% of feed into ethylene, while naphtha crackers yield only about 30%.
- Cracker utilisation fell from 89% in 2018 to 79% in 2023 as capacity outran demand.
- Cracking emits about 1.5-2 t of CO2 per tonne; electric furnaces piloted at Ludwigshafen since 2024 aim to cut that by up to 90%.
The journey
- 1 FeedstockEthane from gas, or refinery naphtha
- 2 Steam crackingFurnaces heat feed to about 850 C
- 3 Cryogenic separationChilled to -100 C, 99.9% ethylene
- 4 On-site useMostly piped within the same complex
- 5 DerivativesPolyethylene, glycols, PVC and styrene