Electrical Cracking (e-Cracking) for production of Petrochemicals

Market Studies Department

SABIC, BASF and Linde have begun constructing of the world’s first demonstration plant for large-scale electrically heated steam cracker furnaces.

The electricity is going to be generated from renewable sources instead of natural gas. This technology is claimed to have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions of one of the most energy-intensive production processes in the chemical industry by at least 90% compared to those technologies which are commonly used today.

Thermal cracking of hydrocarbons is used in the production of petrochemical products in the presence of steam (steam cracker), especially in the production of Ethane/Propane mix. Ethylene is the lightest olefin and the most industrially produced and consumed organic material worldwide. It is mostly used in the production of polymers and derivatives.

Steam crackers play a central role in the production of basic chemicals and they require a significant amount of energy to break down hydrocarbons into olefins and aromatics. Typically, the reaction is conducted in furnaces at high temperatures.

The demonstration plant is going to be fully integrated into one of the existing steam crackers at BASF’s Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF and SABIC are investing together into the project and the demonstration plant will be operated by BASF.Linde is the engineering, procurement, and construction partner for the project, and it will also undertake to market advanced technologies according to its hoped-for future plans. German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action under its “Decarbonization in Industry” is going to support the development of the novel furnace technology with a grant of €14.8 million. The subject project has great potential to reduce the petrochemical industry’s carbon footprint

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