MARKETS PETROLEUM DOMINATES XYLENE SOURCES
1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 (Est.) Source:
Coke Ovens 6. 7. 7. 7. 8. 9. 8. 9. 9. 11 10, 9,
(Millions of Gallons) Tar Petroleum Distillers Plants 2, 36.8 1, 33.1 9. 53.1 0 49.4 1 , 62.4 2 64.4 2, 61.6 0, 102.9 0, 99.7 Ο 96.1 124.0 115.7
U. S. Tariff Commission (1946—56).
Xylenes —No Shortage in Sighv Smaller output from coal offset by petroleum facil ities; fiber and Film may be major outlets χ YLENE production in 1958 probably bettered its total for the previous year despite a sharp loss in its output by tar distillers and coke oven operators. Of the 148.8 million gallons produced to September, more than 90'Λ came from petroleum refineries. Although there has been no shortage of xylene in the past several years, pe troleum companies are going ahead with plans for expanding its output to meet growing requirements for p-xylene for synthetic fibers and chemicals. The new plant of Sinclair Chemicals at Houston, Tex., for xylene and other aromatics, scheduled to go on stream in March, is somewhat ahead of sched ule. Its capacity for toluene and mixed xylenes has been set at 60 mil lion gallons; for p-xylene at 50 million pounds. The mixed xylenes are now in production, and the η-xylene unit will be in operation shortly. Largest prospective consumer will be the dimethyl terephthalate plant of Du Pont at Old Hickory, Tenn. Sinclair has been making xylene for some time at Marcus Hook, Pa., and has been supplying Hercules Powder for the lat ter 's D M T operation. Xylene and its isomers are reaching 00
CSΕ Ν
J A N . 5,
i959
the market from a number of other re cently completed facilities. A few months back, production of xylene and other aromatics was started by Ash land Oil and Refining, Buffalo, from a plant rated at 2 1 million gallons. Pro duction of the same products was started by YiektMs Petroleum. Potwin. Kan., with a 15 million gallon plant. Earlier in 1938. Jones and Laughlin Steel started production of benzene, toluene, and xylene at a S2 million ad ditional facility at Aliquippa. Pa. Humble Oil and Refining is understood to have expanded "-xylene at Baytown. Tex., from 44 million to 66 million gal lons. • Future Prospects. Production that will play a top role in xylene's future in the U. S., according to marketers, are Dacron and other synthetics. Mylar film, and chemicals. Xylene's outlook is also dependent in a measure on the success of isophthalic acid in the sur face coatings industry. Hence the keen interest shown in the new Amoco ChemicaL· process for producing low- cost pbthalic anhy dride, terephthalic acid, D M T , isophthalic acid, a n d benzoic acid. Amoco's initial shipments are expected to
go forward some time this month. These are products with assured out lets for polyester fibers and film, resins, and alkyd surface coatings. Ben zoic acid has its outlets in the manu facture of plastieizers and chemical in termediates. As the result of new petroleum fa cilities. x> lene production may show an increase in 1959. This is likely to offset dwindling outputs from tar dis tillers and coke oven operators, even though supplies from the coal chemical interests may increase over 1958. A complete breakdown for 1957 by t h e U. S. Tariff Commission has been de layed, but dwindling xylene output by the coal chemicals industry is shown in the 1956 report. For that year the production and percentages ran like this:
Source All grades Coke ovens Petroleum Tar
Production (Million Gallons) 136.3 10.3 124.1
Pc r Cent of
Total 100.0 7.6
91.0
1.9
1.4
Xylene has not come u p to produc tion forecasts. It was estimated, for example, that production would rise well above 140 million gallons by 1956. It was also figured that domes tic p-xylene would reach 100 million pounds by 1960. Because of the difficulty of separat ing xylene into the ortho. meta, and para fractions and ethyl benzene (be cause of close boiling points), increased attention has been given to other means of obtaining them. It was also proposed in Europe that terephthalic be obtained directly from phthalic an hydride through isomei ization, elimi nating the /^-xylene recovery step.
WEEK'S PRICE CHANGES Dec. 29, 1958 Advances C Γ Kit F N'T
Bnuin.·. ox.. Alkaloid Sulfate Soybean meal, ton
S
1.85* 1.50*
PRKVIOUS
?
1.20 1.15
Decatur, 60.00
58.00
Dec'ines Casein. Argentine, lb. S 0.19>/ 2 S 0.19V* F.thvlhexvl acrvlate. lb. 0.40 0.45 M e r c u r y . 7«>-|b. Husk 222.00 224.00 Pentachloropheno), bags. e.l.. l b . 0.21 0.22 51.00 51.50 P l a t i n u m , oz. Polyvinyl acetate emul 0.18 sion, l b . 0.1 G * Nominal.
