How I helped change polymer production with a revolutionary new chemical
Peace Chen discusses a new chemical created within the last two decades would go on to revolutionise the way certain everyday polymer production occurs and how he helped create the market and educate potential customers.
A new chemical created within the last two decades would go on to revolutionise the way certain everyday polymer production occurs. The change can be felt even today. One of the people who helped create the product鈥檚 market and educate potential customers was Shell Catalysts & Technologies Peace Chen. Chen is a key account manager in the Asia Pacific region whose work primarily focuses on licensing technology and catalyst offerings.
In this interview on 鈥�How I Make Every Molecule Matter鈥�, Peace discusses the development of 1,3-propanediol (PDO), its use in polyesters, polyurethanes and polyethers, and its value in modern industry.
1. Please tell us more about your current work and how it supports the energy transition.
In my current role, I鈥檓 responsible for Shell Catalysts & Technologies licensing and providing access to catalysts for several large, private petrochemical companies in China. Some of those technologies fall under renewable energy, such as electricity. China is one of the nine countries where our company offers electricity.
My team and I offer the latest catalysts and processes such as residual gasification and ethylene oxide (EO) catalysts to lower CO鈧� emissions. We also work with related businesses to offer renewable energy such as renewable (green) hydrogen.
2. You played a massive role in building the chemical product division, specifically in leading a project to market a brand-new chemical product. Can you give me an overview of the project?
Two decades ago, Shell Chemicals developed a new chemical product called 1,3-propanediol (PDO). PDO is a building block in polymer production. The PDO process converts pyrolysis gasoline (pygas), a low-value fuel, into a high-value-added product. It has much better efficiency and uses less energy consumption as compared to previous ways of making PDO such as fermentation. As a result, PDO is essential in producing various products 鈥� everything from polyesters to adhesives, laminates and clothing.
We did not know how the product might be used at the beginning of its development, but we quickly recognised that PDO was very promising and would likely have huge market potential. Shell eventually decided to invest billions of dollars into research and development around the product, which led to the first large-scale manufacturing unit solely dedicated to producing PDO.
However, as with any new product, a market still needed to form. That means we had to build a market for it from scratch, known as a 鈥榸ero to market鈥� approach. Shell decided to penetrate the textile industry. China had the most prominent industry share at the time, leading global garment manufacturing. In the United States, we looked to start with producers of carpets.
3. What were some of the early challenges you and your team faced bringing PDO to market for polymer production?
Since PDO was a brand new chemical and brand new to polymers, people in the industry needed to learn how to use it. PDO can be used for the chemical synthesis of several compounds for polycondensations. Polycondensations are the building blocks of polyesters, polyethers and polyurethanes. PDO is also found in cosmetics, foods, lubricants and drugs.1
At the time, potential customers didn鈥檛 know what PDO was or its potential. Without that knowledge, potential customers did not know how to apply it.
We knew we had to raise awareness around the PDO. Shell began to educate and teach customers about the value chain. We explained how PDO was needed to make new polymers that could produce fibre. From there, we educated customers on how those fibres led to making fabric for clothing production.
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4. Can you describe some of the project's early successes and use those to describe the product's success now?
Our earliest successes were determining the right market segments and strategy. We worked with selected business partners in each market where we thought PDO would have an application. Along with PDO, we also promoted PDO鈥檚 most significant downstream product, polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT).
Shell invested in PTT polycondensation with business partners while also focusing on the business development of PTT in all potential market applications like carpet, textile and engineering. For example, we worked with leading carpet manufacturers in the United States. In China, we worked with organizations in the textile and engineering markets.
Additionally, we also chose to work with universities. These leading institutions helped us to bridge the gaps we experienced in the early days. Our partnerships worked so well that we were able to educate the target markets, demonstrate PDO鈥檚 value and penetrate the value chains for brands and end users successfully.
PDO production also has other applications.
Its production can offer high-purity ethylene oxide (HPEO), and consume pyrolysis gasoline (pygas) with lower emissions. It can also fit a customer鈥檚 cracker downstream portfolio well.
As a result, many of the items we use daily use PDO somehow.
5. Do you see it changing or undergoing any new developments in the future? Why?
Regarding new developments, I expect to see PDO created in greener ways. Additionally, PDO should be of value in downstream portfolios that are used in niche markets andespecially in Asia.
I am quite proud of Shell and its staff and how the company helped the local Chinese private sector refine petrochemicals to grow bigger, be more efficient, be greener, and offer them the latest technologies and catalysts. I鈥檓 constantly motivated by how the company continues to help companies grow their respective businesses, and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of that growth in China.
1 Gundogan, N., Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology (Second Edition), 2014