Recent Developments on Ethylene Dimerization with Focus on Alphabutol Optimization

Abstract

Butene-1 is an essential compound or co-monomer typically used to regulate and control the density of both high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). The production of Butene-1 has become a significant area of interest to the industrial and educational-research sectors. Alphabutol technology is one of the Butene-1 production processes. This paper attempts to find a problem that has not been addressed by previous research on production of Butene-1 by using ethylene demineralization route focussing on Alphabutol Technology. The first part of this paper is on the ethylene dimerization techniques available in the literature. Most research on the ethylene dimerization technique emphasized on how to enhance the selectivity of Butene-1 from ethylene using different types of catalyst. The second part of this paper reviews the operational processes used to minimise fouling reported in the literature review. Most of the literatures focused ethylene dimerization and not on the operational issues to be overcome during chemical reactions to enhance the selectivity of Butene-1. Fouling problem in Alphabutol process is still an area that is not adequately addressed in the literature. There is also no literature on operating or maintenance procedure to address these problems of the technology. Therefore, there is still room for improvement on the ethylene dimerization research technology, particularly in the operational process and conditions where the improvement in the reaction parameters of the Alphabutol reactor can improve selectivity of butene-1, extend the run time of the heat exchanger and reduce the time required to clean the heat exchanger fouling.