PETROCHEMICALS:
Question of Imports The Federal Government moved closer to a decision on allowing in creased imports of petrochemical feed stocks last week, but not much closer. The Office of Emergency Prepared ness' Oil Policy Committee (OPC) working group, which largely makes such decisions, must first digest some 379 pages of answers—with more on the way—submitted by the Chemco and Petrochem groups of petrochemi cal producers and others in reply to an OPC questionnaire. William C. Truppner, chairman of the OPC working group, requested Chemco, Petrochem, and others in late July to comment on certain relation ships between the Mandatory Oil Im port Program (MOIP) and increased imports of petrochemical feedstocks. Deadline for these comments was Sept. 4. Chemco and Petrochem replied to Mr. Truppner's request in a 75-page joint submission. Member companies of both groups submitted individual responses. OPC wanted to know, for instance, what change in production costs of primary petrochemicals at a newly constructed plant would likely result from freer access to imported feed stocks. Chemco/Petrochem replied that production costs could be substan tially reduced. For instance, olefin manufacture in 1975 would cost 2.9 cents per pound under the current quota program using U.S. propane as a feedstock and 3.3 cents per pound if U.S. naphtha were used. Under a freer access program (based on petro chemicals produced and an 88% for eign and 12% domestic naphtha feed), olefin manufacture would be 2.5 cents per pound, the same as for producing olefins in a naphtha-based facility in Europe. The projected cost reduction for in termediate and finished petrochemi cals would range from 4 to 11%. Chemco/Petrochem says that this is "most significant" particularly since the margin on sales for some 78 com panies in the U.S. chemical industry averaged 6.5% in 1967 and 6.3% in 1968. OPC also wanted to know the effect of granting freer access while the American Selling Price (ASP) system remained in effect. Chemco/Petro chem pointed out that there is little direct relationship between an access quota program and ASP. They added that "the need for ASP protection should be considered on its own mer its, and modification of the MOIP causes little difference in reaching the result."
OLEFINS: Product
Percentage phosphates as STPPa
Presoaks Biz 73.9% 71.4 Enzyme Brion 71.2 Amway Trizyme 63.2 Axion Laundry detergents 63.2 Blue Rain Drops 56.6 Salvo 49.8 Tide 49.3 Amway SA-8 48.2 Coldwater Surf 47.4 Drive 46.6 Oxydol 45.4 Bold 45.4 Cold Water All (powder) 44.6 Ajax Laundry 44.6 Cold Power 44.2 Punch 41.9 Dreft 41.0 Rinso with Chlorine Bleach 39.5 Gain 38.3 Duz 38.0 Bestiine B-7 37.5 Bonus 37.2 Breeze 36.3 Cheer 34.8 Fab 34.7 White King (with Borax) 21.7 Royalite 16.6 Instant Fel Soap 14.2 Wisk (liquid) 4.3 Par Plus 2.2 Addit (liquid) 1.9 Ivory Liquid 1.9 Lux Liquid White King Soap Less tha η 1.0 Cold Water All (liquid) Less tha η 1.0 Automatic dish-washer detergents Amway 60.0 Cascade 54.5 All 54.0 Calgonite 49.4 Electrosol 34.8 Household cleaners 28.5 Ajax All Purpose 27.0 Mr. Clean 3.1 Whistle Less than 1.0 Pinesol Miscellaneous Snowy Bleach Borateem Downy Amway Dish Drops
36.4 Less than 1.0 Less than 1.0 Less than 1.0
a A l t h o u g h p h o s p h a t e c o n t e n t s are r e p o r t e d as p e r c e n t a g e STPP, not all p r o d u c t s c o n t a i n STPP.
PHOSPHATES:
Housewife's Decision To help the pollution-wary housewife exert the power of the consumer, the Federal Water Quality Administration has expanded to 48 products an ear lier listing of the phosphate content of brand-name household detergent products. Phosphate levels (see table) are expressed as sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). FWQA wants phosphate levels in detergent formulations reduced to "minimum practical levels immedi ately/' says FWQA's David Dominick. FWQA also seeks complete replace ment of phosphorus compounds as soon as possible.
New Technology Coming Developments now rapidly evolving within the petrochemical industry will have major effects on the future sup ply of olefins, according to Peter Sher wood Associates. Studies by the New York City-based consulting firm indi cate that technology for production of olefins by catalytic dehydrogenation of alkanes is approaching commercial ization. And in an area strongly de pendent on olefin supply—propylene oxide production—new technology for direct oxidation of propylene will soon surface. Giving impetus to development of dehydrogenation methods, the Sher wood group says, is the reduction in refinery output of olefins brought about by a growing acceptance of hydrocracking in place of catalytic crack ing. Concurrent with this reduction is a growing refinery demand for ole fins in alkylation. The need for alkylation, to boost octanes of gasoline, will increase by reducing or eliminat ing lead alkyls in gasoline. The Sherwood study of propylene oxide production technology confirms earlier accounts from industry (C&EN, July 6, page 29; Aug. 3, page 22). Conclusions: Propylene oxide is cur rently in a major growth phase, prin cipal outlets being polyurethane and polyester production. The future of the classical chlorohydrin process for propylene oxide production isn't too bright, however. In the chlorohydrin process, by product calcium chloride presents a considerable pollution problem. Aside from that, for every pound of propylene oxide produced 1.4 pounds of chlorine, at a cost of about 3 cents, is wasted. The Sherwood study points out that propylene oxide is al ready selling far below list price. Thus, the economics of new chlorohy drin plants become marginal. Several producers are developing new propylene oxide technology, but only one chlorine-free process has reached the commercial stage so far. That process—owned by Oxirane, a joint subsidiary of Halcon Interna tional and Atlantic Richfield—may de pend on the market for by-product isobutylene. Increased demands for olefins may maintain a ready market for isobutyl ene but a strained supply of propyl ene, thus having countervailing effects on Oxirane's propylene oxide process. On the other hand, these effects would be exactly reversed by the catalytic dehydrogenation technology which, the Sherwood study says, shows im mediate promise for producing isobu tylene, n-butenes, and propylene from their parent hydrocarbons. S E P T . 14, 1970 C & E N
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