Manufacture of propylene-based chemical(s) from ethylene obtained from ethanol dehydration

Abstract

A process for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) from ethylene using an ethylene pipeline grid (101) and a propylene pipeline grid (102), the process comprising: A) providing or having provided a renewable ethanol stream (1), B) feeding or having fed the renewable ethanol stream (1) into an ethanol dehydration plant (103), wherein such stream is subjected to a dehydration to obtain a renewable ethylene stream (2), C) feeding or having fed the renewable ethylene stream (2) into the ethylene pipeline grid (101), D) providing or having provided an ethylene stream (3) withdrawn from the ethylene pipeline grid (101), E) providing or having provided an n-butene stream (4), F) feeding or having fed the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to an olefin conversion unit (104), wherein such streams are subjected to a metathesis reaction to obtain a propylene stream (5), G) feeding or having fed the propylene stream (5) into the propylene pipeline grid (102), H) providing or having provided a propylene stream (6) withdrawn from the propylene pipeline grid (102), and I) subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s).

Description

[0001] MANUFACTURE OF PROPYLENE-BASED CHEMICAL(S) FROM ETHYLENE OBTAINED FROM ETHANOL

[0002] DEHYDRATION

[0003] FIELD OF INVENTION

[0004] This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) from ethylene using an ethylene pipeline grid and a propylene pipeline grid.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] For decades, fossil carbon resources like coal, oil, and gas have been extensively used as the predominant raw material for energy production and petrochemical processes. This has led to an enormous increase of the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere causing global warming and climate change. In view of the finite availability of fossil resources and the urgency to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, there is a high need to replace fossil feedstocks by renewable feedstocks.

[0007] A renewable feedstock is associated with one or more so-called environmental attributes. An environmental attribute is a parameter that represents a measure to assess the environmental impact of a renewable feedstock. Examples of environmental attributes typically attributed to such feedstocks are for instance its bio-based content, its recyclecontent, its origin and / or its product carbon footprint (PCF).

[0008] The chemical industry requires a flexible assignment of such environmental attributes to the various chemical products obtained therefrom. Such assignment needs to be conducted in accordance with well-defined norms and regulations, otherwise there is a potential risk of green washing. Important norms to be respected by the chemical industry with respect to such allocation are particularly ISCC PLUS {International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS) and REDcert2{Scheme principles for the certification of sustainable material flows for the chemical industry). Both norms allow for a so-called mass balance approach. The mass balance approach allows for the mixing of fossil and renewable feedstock, which is in so far attractive as the available amount of renewable feedstock is not sufficient to cover the overall demand in feedstock of the chemical industry. Thus, mixing with fossil feedstock is unavoidable in most cases. Moreover, the mass balance approach allows for the free assignment of environmental attributes associated with the renewable feedstocks to chemical products, provided however, that at least a (small) portion of a chemical product has been actually manufactured from the respective renewable feedstock Such prerequisite apparently requires a physical connection between the renewable feedstock and a respective chemical product along the value chain.

[0009] For a major part of important feedstocks such as bio-naphtha or pyrolysis oil derived from plastic or other waste streams, the establishment of such connection is not problematic The reason is as follows: Bio-naphtha or pyrolysis oil are converted in a cracker to a great variety of different starting materials, in particular olefins such es ethylene, propylene, and butenes as well as aromatics. Such starting materials constitute the starting point of the vast part of the chemical industry's value chain. Consequently, there is a physical connectivity that spans over all such value chains. Thus, - in accordance with the mass balance approach as per ISCC PLUS or REDcert2- the assignment of the environmental attributes associated with bio-naphtha or pyrolysis oil derived from plastic or other waste streams can be attributed to all resulting chemical products.

[0010] The problem of establishing a physical connection, however, occurs for renewable ethanol, which is subjected to a dehydration to obtain renewable ethylene. The dehydration of renewable ethanol is the most efficient way of producing renewable ethylene. Such renewable ethylene can be used to replace fossil ethylene as typically obtained from a cracker. An assignment of the environmental attributes associated with the renewable ethanol can only occur along the ethylene value chain. An assignment to a propylene value chain would not be admissible unless there is a physical connection. Such physical connection can be established by subjecting renewable ethylene to a metathesis reaction with n-butene to obtain propylene to be fed into the propylene value chain. However, this would require an olefin conversion unit (OCU) configured to perform such metathesis reaction in close vicinity to the dehydration plant. When there is no OCU available at the location of the dehydration plant, such connection cannot be readily established.

[0011] Hence, there is a need to find a way to establish a physical connection between an ethanol dehydration plant and a propylene value chain where there is no OCU available at the location of the ethanol dehydration plant. Moreover, there is a need to provide a technically efficient and transparent way to handle the assignment of environmental attributes to propylene-derived products.

[0012] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In a first aspect the present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) from ethylene using an ethylene pipeline grid (101) and a propylene pipeline grid (102), the process comprising:

[0014] A) providing or having provided a renewable ethanol stream (1),

[0015] B) feeding or having fed the renewable ethanol stream (1) into an ethanol dehydration plant (103), wherein such stream is subjected to a dehydration to obtain a renewable ethylene stream (2),

[0016] C) feeding or having fed the renewable ethylene stream (2) into the ethylene pipeline grid (101),

[0017] D) providing or having provided an ethylene stream (3) withdrawn from the ethylene pipeline grid (101),

[0018] E) providing or having provided an n-butene stream (4),

[0019] F) feeding or having fed the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to an olefin conversion unit (104), wherein such streams are subjected to a metathesis reaction to obtain a propylene stream (5),

[0020] G) feeding or having fed the propylene stream (5) into the propylene pipeline grid (102),

[0021] H) providing or having provided a propylene stream (6) withdrawn from the propylene pipeline grid (102), and

[0022] I) subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s). In a second aspect the present invention relates to process for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) from a propylene stream (6) using an ethylene pipeline grid (101) and a propylene pipeline grid (102), the process comprising: a) providing or having provided a propylene stream (6) withdrawn from the propylene pipeline grid (102), and b) subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s), wherein a propylene stream (5) was ted to the propylene pipeline grid (102), such propylene stream (5) being obtained from a process comprising: c) providing or having provided an ethylene stream (3) withdrawn from the ethylene pipeline grid (101), d) providing or having provided an n-butene stream (4), and e) feeding or having fed the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to an olefin conversion unit (104), wherein such streams are subjected to a metathesis reaction to obtain the propylene stream (5), wherein, an ethylene stream (2) was ted to the ethylene pipeline grid (101), such ethylene stream (2) being obtained from a process comprising: f) providing or having provided a renewable ethanol stream (1), and g) feeding or having fed the renewable ethanol stream (1) into an ethanol dehydration plant (103), wherein such stream is subjected to a dehydration to obtain the renewable ethylene stream (2).

[0023] In a third aspect the present invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical (s) from ethylene comprising:

[0024] I) an ethylene pipeline grid (101), ii) a propylene pipeline grid (102), iii) an ethanol dehydration plant (103) configured to receive a renewable ethanol stream (1), to subject the renewable ethanol stream (1) to a dehydration to obtain an ethylene stream (2), and to provide the ethylene stream (2) to the ethylene pipeline grid (101), iv) an olefin conversion unit (104) configured to receive an ethylene stream (3) from the ethylene pipeline grid and an n-butene stream (4), to subject the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to a metathesis reaction to obtain a propylene stream (5), and to provide the propylene stream (5) to the propylene pipeline grid, and v) a propylene conversion facility configured to receive a propylene stream (6) from the propylene pipeline grid, and to produce the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s).

[0025] In a fourth aspect the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for attributing at least one environmental attribute to one or more propylene-derived chemical(s), wherein the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) are produced in a chemical production network comprising the apparatus defined in any of claims 11 or 12, and wherein the at least one environmental attribute is associated with a material stream selected from the group consisting of the renewable ethanol stream (1), the ethylene stream (2), the ethylene stream (3), the propylene stream (5) and the propylene stream (6), the method comprising: • Providing or having provided material data associated with the material stream to an operating system of the chemical production network,

[0026] • determining environmental attributes associated with the material stream via a virtual production process,

[0027] • allocating or having allocated the environmental attributes associated with the material stream to a virtual balancing account, wherein the virtual balancing account includes at least one attribution rule for attributing the environmental attributes associated with the material stream to a propylene-derived chemical,

[0028] • providing or having provided a chemical product identifier associated with the propylene-derived chemical and at least one target environmental attribute,

[0029] • based on the propylene-derived chemical and the target environmental attribute, selecting or having selected at least one attribution rule,

[0030] • determining or having determined via the at least one attribution rule at least one account for attributing one or more environmental attribute(s) from the at least one account to the propylene-derived chemical identifier; and

[0031] • assigning or having assigned or attributing or having attributed the one or more environmental attribute(s) to the propylene-derived chemical identifier.

[0032] In a fifth aspect the present invention relates to an apparatus for attributing at least one environmental attribute to one or more propylene-derived chemical(s), wherein the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) are produced in a propylene-derived chemical production network comprising the apparatus defined in any of claims 11 or 12, and wherein the at least one environmental attribute is associated with a material stream selected from the group consisting of the renewable ethanol stream (1), the ethylene stream (2), the ethylene stream (3), the propylene stream (5) and the propylene stream (6), the apparatus comprising:

[0033] • a virtual production module configured to o receive material data associated with the material stream, and o to determine environmental attributes associated with the material stream,

[0034] • a balancing module configured to provide at least one account for balancing the environmental attributes produced by the virtual production module;

[0035] • an attribution module configured to provide at least one attribution rule for attributing environmental attributes associated with the material stream to the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s), and

[0036] • a digital asset provider configured to provide at least one chemical product identifier associated with the propylene-derived chemical and at least one target environmental attribute for the propylene-derived chemical; and an outbound allocator configured to o select based on the chemical product identifier and the target environmental attribute at least one attribution rule, o determine at least one account for assigning or attributing one or more environmental attribute(s) from the account to the digital asset via the at least one attribution rule, and o assigning or attributing the one or more environmental attribute(s) to the digital asset. BRIED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Fig. 1 : Diagram showing the manufacture of propylene derived chemical(s) in using an ethylene and propylene pipeline grid (state of the art).

[0038] Fig. 2: Diagram showing the manufacture of propylene derived chemical(s) in using an ethylene and propylene pipeline grid (according to the invention).

[0039] Fig. 3: Diagram showing the manufacture of propylene derived chemical(s) in using an ethylene and propylene pipeline grid (according to the invention), wherein the invention is realized by Companies A, B, and C.

[0040] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] Definitions:

[0042] According to this invention, the following definitions shall apply (the definitions are provided in alphabetical order):

[0043] “Chemical production network" means a network of interconnected, connected, and non-connected chemical production chains. It may span over many production facilities located far away from each other.

[0044] “Downstream propylene-derived chemical(s)” collectively refers to any desired compound appearing in a value chain starting out from a primary propylene-derived chemical. Thus, the expression includes any intermediates and final products. In certain cases, a chemical compound can be an intermediate and final product at the same time.

[0045] “Environmental attribute” means any feature of a chemical compound that characterizes its ecological impact. The amount of renewable carbon is an important environmental attribute. Other important environmental attributes characterizing a chemical compound are its product carbon footprint (PCF) as well as the type and origin of the feedstock based on which the chemical compound was produced. For instance, in case of renewable ethanol one can distinguish three different types of ethanol, namely first, second or third generation ethanol (the difference between such types is elaborated in more detail below). Also, the origin may have a relevance. For instance, an ethanol the biomass used for its production originates from an area that has arisen through deforestation of rainforest would have an ecological impact that is different from the impact of a biomass where no deforestation occurred.

[0046] “Ethanol dehydration plant” means a plant that is configured to subject ethanol to a dehydration to obtain ethylene.

[0047] “Ethylene conversion facility” means any facility that is configured to convert ethylene into chemical product(s). The term is not limited to a distinctive plant like for example a plant configured to manufacture ethylene oxide, but it also includes several or a plurality of production plants arranged to obtain a certain chemical product. For instance, a first plant to manufacture ethylene oxide and a second plant to process such ethylene oxide to polyethylene glycol etc. “Ethylene pipeline grid” means a network of interconnected pipes configured to transport ethylene over long distances, to receive ethylene from a plurality (typically more than 100) of ethylene production facilities and to provide ethylene to a plurality (typically more than 30) of ethylene conversion facilities. It typically comprises a plurality of pipeline segments, a plurality of pipeline nodes, a plurality of valves, pumps, compressors and storage caverns, and a plurality of control elements, such control elements being configured to guide the flow of ethylene from the ethylene productions plants to the ethylene conversion facilities The length of the pipeline is defined as the sum over all pipeline segments. The length is typically more than 10 km, more than 100 km, or even more 1000 km.

[0048] “Ethylene production plant" means a plant that is configured to produce ethylene. For example, a cracker, such as a steam cracker, or a plant configured to convert methanol to olefins (MTO-plant). Any such plant can also be fed fully or partially (typically only partially) with a renewable feedstock. In case of a cracker, the renewable feedstock is typically selected from bio-naphtha, a pyrolysis oil, or a mixture thereof. A pyrolysis oil can be obtained from the pyrolysis of waste such as municipal waste, wood residues and the like. Other renewable feedstocks are for instance renewable methanol (in case of an MTO-plant). An ethanol dehydration plant is also considered an ethylene production plant.

[0049] “Primary propylene-derived chemical(s)" means a primary reaction product of propylene which may be subject to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain a downstream propylene-derived chemical.

[0050] “Interconnection” means a permanent physical interconnection between a first and a second plant, such interconnection allowing for a continuous supply of material from the first to the second plant or vice versa. Such interconnection is typically established via a pipeline (including a pipeline grid). Any transportation of material between the first and the second plant by means such as cars, trucks, trains, and the like is not an interconnection.

[0051] “Olefin conversion unit” or “OCU" means a plant that is configured to subject ethylene and n-butene to a metathesis reaction to obtain propylene.

[0052] “Propylene conversion facility” means any facility that is configured to convert propylene into propylene-derived chemicals. The term is not limited to a distinctive plant like for example a plant configured to manufacture propylene oxide, but it also includes several or a plurality of production plants arranged to obtain a certain propylene-derived chemical. For instance, a first plant to manufacture propylene oxide and a second plant to process such propylene oxide to polypropylene glycol or a polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol copolymer etc.

[0053] “Propylene-derived chemical" means any chemical that can be obtained from subjecting propylene to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversion (including any composition or formulation that comprises the respective chemical obtained from such conversion(s)). It refers to any desired compound appearing in the propylene value chain starting out from propylene. Thus, the expression includes any intermediates and final products. In certain cases, a chemical compound can be an intermediate and final product at the same time. For example, acrylic acid can be the final product of a value chain and yet can be an intermediate when it is further processed to acrylate or poly (acrylic acid), if desired.

[0054] “Propylene pipeline grid” means a network of interconnected pipes configured to transport propylene over long distances, to receive propylene from a plurality (typically more than 10) of propylene production facilities and to provide propylene to a plurality (typically more than 30) of propylene conversion facilities. It typically comprises a plurality of pipeline segments, a plurality of pipeline nodes, a plurality of valves, pumps, compressors and storage caverns and a plurality of control elements, such control elements being configured to guide the flow of propylene from the propylene productions plants to the propylene conversion facilities. Typically, propylene has two different quality grades - chemical-grade (low propane content) and refinery-grade (higher propane content) for different applications and a separate propylene pipeline grid is used for each of those two grades. The length of the pipeline is defined as the sum over all pipeline segments. The length is typically more than 10 km, more than 100 km, or more than 1000 km.

[0055] “Propylene production plant” means a plant that is configured to produce propylene. For example, a FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracking) unit of a refinery, a cracker, such as a steam cracker, a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit or a plant configured to convert methanol to olefins (MTO-plant). Any such plant can also be fed fully or partially (typically only partially) with a renewable feedstock. In case of a cracker, the renewable feedstock is typically selected from bio-naphtha, a pyrolysis oil, or a mixture thereof. A pyrolysis oil can be obtained from the pyrolysis of waste such as municipal waste, wood residues and the like. Other renewable feedstocks are for instance renewable methanol (in case of an MTO-plant). An OCU is also considered a propylene production plant.

[0056] “Renewable" or “renewably-sourced" in relation to a chemical compound are used synonymously and mean a chemical compound comprising a quantity of renewable carbon, i.e., having a reduced or no carbon content of fossil origin. Renewable carbon entails all carbon sources that avoid or substitute the use of any additional fossil carbon from the geosphere. Renewable carbon can come from the biosphere, atmosphere or technosphere - but not from the geosphere. Thus, the expression “renewable" or “renewably-sourced" includes biomass-derived chemical compounds. It also includes compounds derived from waste such as municipal waste, end-of-life tires, refuse derived fuels and the like. It also includes waste streams of chemical production processes.

[0057] According to the present invention a “pipeline grid' is to be distinguished from a (normal) “pipeline”. The latter being for instance a pipe that connects a first plant with a second plant at a certain production site, or which connects a reactor with a column etc. The key differentiators are the plurality of production and conversion facilities which are connect to the pipeline gird as well as the capability of the pipeline grid to transport chemicals over (very) long distances, thus typically connecting a plurality of production sites. The term “having ...." as used herein, shall clarify that a step can either be directly executed by an entity (such as “providing”, “feeding” etc.) or that such entity can have another entity to execute such step (such as “having provided”, “having fed” etc.). For each step preference is given to the direct execution.

[0058] Unless explicitly provided otherwise, the term “obtained by” as used herein to specify that chemical is “obtained by” a certain chemical process, preferably means “manufactured by”, i.e. that a respective chemical is directly manufactured by the respective chemical process.

[0059] Unless explicitly provided otherwise, any “optional” step as defined herein is preferably carried out.

[0060] Unless explicitly provided otherwise, all steps and operations disclosed and defined herein are usually conducted continuously.

[0061] Advantages of the invention:

[0062] The present invention provides for an efficient way to establish a physical connection between renewable ethanol and the propylene value chain. A physical connection means that a certain amount of the renewable carbon atoms of the renewable ethanol stream (1) is comprised in the propylene-derived chemical(s) manufactured in accordance with the present invention. Chemically such connection is established via a metathesis reaction (conducted in the olefin conversion unit (104)) which links the ethylene value chain with the propylene value chain.

[0063] The realization of such a connection is problematic when an ethanol dehydration plant and an olefin conversion unit are not located in such close vicinity to each other, that an interconnection between them can be easily established, such as a simple pipeline. In such cases one could rely on non-permanent transportation means (such as truck, train or ship), e.g. by loading the ethylene on a train and transporting it to the location of the olefin conversion unit. For ethylene, which is a cornerstone of the chemical industry and thus required in very large quantities, this would be inefficient because it requires liquefication (pressurization and / or refrigeration) for transportation and would, thus, cause a lot of CO2 being emitted to the atmosphere. In the same way it would be inefficient to relocate either plant, because the deconstruction and recompilation of a chemical plant consumes a lot of resources, in particular energy, thus again resulting in CO2 being emitted to the atmosphere. For instance, it would also be inefficient to build a new olefin conversion unit close to an ethanol dehydration plant although an existing olefin conversion unit (at another location) suffices to meet the propylene demands of the chemical industry.

[0064] All these disadvantages can be avoided by the present invention as it allows to rely on existing plants. A typical state- of-the art infrastructure is depicted in Fig. 1 . The present invention provides an efficient way to use this infrastructure requiring only minor modifications A typical embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 2 Thereby an efficient and ecologic way to transfer renewable carbon originating from renewable ethanol to propylene-derived chemicals over (very) long distances is established. The resulting “traceability” of the renewable carbon is elaborated in more details in the description of Figure 2 below. The present invention thus enables the attribution of environmental attributes from renewable ethanol to propylene-derived products according to the mass balance approach as per ISCC PLUS or REDcert2.

[0065] It is to be noted that in a typical scenario the invention is realized by more than one entity. This is illustrated by way of an example in Fig. 3 The fact that in principle each step of the invention can be realized by a different entity is represented by stating either “carrying out the respective step” or “having carried out the respective step” Preference is given to the “carrying out” language for any step.

[0066] As outlined above, the ethylene pipeline grid (101) receives ethylene from a plurality of ethylene production plants. Since the amount of available renewable feedstock is not sufficient to cover the demand of the chemical industry, such ethylene production plants typically convert fossil feedstock in addition to renewable feedstock. Typically, the amount of renewable feedstock being converted in the ethylene production plants does not exceed 50 wt.-%, 40 wt.- %, 30 wt.-%, 20 wt.-% 10 wt.-%, 5 wt.-%, 2.5 wt.-%, or 1 wt.-%, based on overall amount of feedstock (fossil and renewable) which is converted in the ethylene production plants. For the avoidance of doubt, such renewable feedstock includes the renewable ethanol fed to ethanol dehydration plant (103) because an ethanol hydration plant is also considered an ethylene production plant (see definition of ethylene production plant).

[0067] Therefore, the amount of renewable carbon in the ethylene stream (3) typically contains fossil and renewable carbon. For instance, the amount of renewable carbon in the ethylene stream (3) does not exceed 50 wt.-%, 40 wt.-%, 30 wt.- %, 20 wt.-% 10 wt.-%, 5 wt.-%, 2.5 wt.-%, or 1 wt.-%, based on the overall amount of carbon (fossil and renewable) in the ethylene stream (3).

[0068] As outlined above, the propylene pipeline grid (102) receives propylene from a plurality of propylene production plants. Since the amount of available renewable feedstock is not sufficient to cover the demand of the chemical industry, such propylene production facilities typically convert fossil feedstock in addition to renewable feedstock. Typically, the amount of renewable feedstock being converted in the propylene production facilities does not exceed 50 wt.-%, 40 wt.-%, 30 wt.-%, 20 wt.-% 10 wt.-%, 5 wt.-%, 2.5 wt.-%, or 1 wt.-%, based on overall amount of feedstock (fossil and renewable) which is converted in the propylene production facilities. For the avoidance of doubt, such renewable feedstock includes the renewable ethylene fed to olefin conversion unit (104) because an OCU is also considered a propylene production plant (see definition of propylene production plant).

[0069] Therefore, the amount of renewable carbon in the propylene stream (5) typically contains fossil and renewable carbon. For instance, the amount of renewable carbon in the propylene stream (5) does not exceed 50 wt.-%, 40 wt - %, 30 wt.-%, 20 wt.-% 10 wt.-%, 5 wt.-%, 2.5 wt.-%, or 1 wt-%, based on the overall amount of carbon (fossil and renewable) in the propylene stream (5). In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the ethanol dehydration plant (103) as per step B) is at a first location, the olefin conversion unit (104) as per step F) is at a second location, and the withdrawal of the propylene stream (6) from the propylene pipeline grid (102) as per step H) is at a third location, preferably wherein the distance between the first and second location is >50, >100, >200, >300 km, and the distance between the second and third location is >50, >100, >200, >300 km.

[0070] The term “distance'' means linear distance. That means the length of a straight line between a fist and a second location.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, step I) reads as follows: l)-(a) feeding the propylene stream (6) to a propylene conversion facility (106) and subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions in the propylene conversion facility (106) to obtain one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s), preferably selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, n-butyraldehyde, iso-butyraldehyde, and propylene oxide; and l)-(b) optionally feeding or having fed the one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s) to a chemical conversion facility (107) and subjecting or having subjected the one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s) in the chemical conversion facility (107) to a chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversion to obtain one or more downstream propylene-derived chemical (s), preferably selected from the group consisting of 1 ,2-propanediol, n-butanol, iso-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol, i-butyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2- ethylhexyl acrylate, poly (acrylic acid), di(octyl)hexanedioate , bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, tris(2- ethylhexyl)trimellitate, polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units, and derivatives of polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units.

[0072] The term “chemical conversion facility” means a facility that is configured to produce the one or more downstream propylene-derived chemical(s) from the one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s). Depending on the respective chemical conversion(s) it can comprise one or more distinct chemical production plants.

[0073] Referring to the above preferred embodiment the ethanol dehydration plant (103) as per step B) is at a first location, the olefin conversion unit (104) as per step F) is at a second location, and the propylene conversion facility (106) as per step l)-(a) is at a third location, preferably wherein the distance between the first and second location is >50, >100, >200, >300 km, and the distance between the second and third location is >50, >100, >200, >300 km The chemical conversion facility as per step l)-(b) can be adjacent to the propylene conversion facility (106) or it can be remote therefrom. In the latter case, the distance between the propylene conversion facility (106) and the chemical conversion facility (107) is >50, >100, >200, >300 km. The transportation of the primary propylene-derived chemical(s) from the propylene conversion facility (106) to the chemical conversion facility (107) can occur via ship, train, truck or any combination thereof. Preferably except for the ethylene pipeline grid (101), there is no interconnection between the ethanol dehydration plant (103) and the olefin conversion unit (104).

[0074] Renewable ethanol:

[0075] Bioethanol is a preferred form of renewable ethanol, although the scope of the invention is not limited to the use of bioethanol.

[0076] In the present invention, bioethanol refers to the ethanol obtained from a biomass feedstock, such as plant or noncrop feedstock containing a carbon source that is convertible to ethanol, for example by microbial metabolism. Typical carbon source examples are starch, sugars like pentoses or hexoses, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, xylose, arabinose, or degradation products of plants, hydrolysis products of cellulose or juice of sugar canes, beet and the like containing large amounts of the above components.

[0077] Biomass feedstock can originate from several sources. Bioethanol production may be based on food crop feedstocks such as corn and sugar cane, sugarcane bagasse, cassava (first generation biofeedstock).

[0078] Another source of biomass feedstock is lignocellulosic materials from agricultural crops (second-generation biofeedstock). Potential feedstocks include agricultural residue by-products such as rice, straw (such as wheat, oat and barley straw), rice husk, and corn stover. Biomass feedstock may also be waste material from the forest products industry (wood waste) and saw dust or produced on purpose as an ethanol crop. Switchgrass and napier grass may be used as on-purpose crops for conversion to ethanol.

[0079] The first-generation bioethanol is produced in four basic steps:

[0080] (1) Enzymatic saccharification or hydrolysis of starch into sugars

[0081] (2) Microbial fermentation of sugars

[0082] (3) Purification by distillation to give hydrous ethanol

[0083] (4) Dehydration (water removal) to produce anhydrous ethanol

[0084] Second-generation feedstocks are considered as renewable and sustainable carbon source. Pretreatment of this feedstock is an essential prerequisite before it is subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation, and dehydration. Pretreatment involves milling and exposure to acid and heat to reduce the size of the plant fibers and hydrolyze a portion of the material to yield fermentable sugars. Saccharification utilizes enzymes to hydrolyze another portion to sugar. Finally, fermentation by bioengineered microorganisms converts the various sugars (pentoses and hexoses) to ethanol. The production of bioethanol is well-known and carried out on an industrial large scale.

[0085] Renewable ethanol can also be obtained from carbon-containing waste materials like waste products from the chemical industry, garbage and sewage sludge. The production of ethanol from waste materials can be done by gasification to syngas and catalytic conversion thereof the ethanol, see for example Recent Advances in Thermo- Chemical Conversion of Biomass, 2015, Pages 213-250, https: / / doi.org / 10.1016 / B978-0-444-63289-0.00008-9, and Nat Common 11, 827 (2020), https: / / doi.org / 10.1038 / s41467-020-14672-8.

[0086] Ethanol dehydration:

[0087] The invention involves the dehydration of the renewable ethanol stream (1) in the ethanol dehydration plant (103) The production of ethylene by catalytic dehydration of ethanol is a well-known process. The reaction is commonly carried out at 300 to 400 °C and moderate pressure in the presence of a catalyst. Catalytic effects are reviewed in Ind & Eng Chem Research, 52, 28, 9505-9514 (2013), Materials 6, 101-115 (2013) and ACS Omega, 2, 4287-4296 (2017). Examples for catalysts are activated alumina or silica, phosphoric acid impregnated on coke, heteropoly acids (HPA salts), silica-alumina, molecular sieves such as zeoliths of the ZSM-5 type or SAPO-11 type, other zeolites or modified zeolites of various molecular structures with zeoliths and HPA salts being preferred.

[0088] Ethanol dehydration is, for example described in WO 2009 / 098268, WO 2010 / 066830, WO 2009 / 070858 and the prior art discussed therein, WO 2011 / 085223 and the prior art discussed therein, US 4,234,752, US 4,396,789, US 4,529,827 and WO 2004 / 078336.

[0089] The ethanol dehydration reaction is in general carried out in the vapor phase in contact with a heterogeneous catalyst bed using either fixed bed or fluidized bed reactors. For fixed bed reactors, the operation can be either isothermal (with external heating system) or adiabatic (in the presence of a heat carrying fluid). The feedstock is vaporized and heated to the desired reaction temperature; the temperature drops as the reaction proceeds in the reactor. Multiple reactor beds are usually used in series to maintain the temperature drop in each bed to a manageable range. The cooled effluent from each bed is further heated to bring it to the desired inlet temperature of the subsequent beds. Moreover, a portion of the water is recirculated along with fresh and unreacted ethanol. The presence of water helps in moderating the temperature decrease in each bed.

[0090] Prior to dehydration, the renewable ethanol feedstock may be sent to a pretreatment section to remove mineral contaminants, which would otherwise be detrimental to the downstream catalytic reaction. The pretreatment may involve contacting the renewably-sourced ethanol feedstock with cation and / or anion exchange resins. After a certain period of operation, the resins may be regenerated by passing a regenerant solution through the resin bed(s) to restore their ion exchange capacity Two sets of beds are preferably operated in parallel to maintain continuous operation. One set of resin beds is suitably regenerated while the other set is being used for pretreatment.

[0091] In the isothermal design, the catalyst is placed inside the tubes of multitubular fixed-bed reactors which arranged vertically and surrounded by a shell (tube and shell design). A heat transfer medium, such as molten salts or oil, is circulated inside the shell to provide the required heat. Baffles may be provided on the shell side to facilitate heat transfer. The cooled heating medium is heated externally and is recirculated. The temperature drop on the process side can be reduced as compared to the adiabatic reactor. A better control on the temperature results in increased selectivity for the ethylene formation and reduction in the amount of undesirable by-products. The temperature is maintained at approximately constant levels within the range from 300° to 350°C. Ethanol conversion is between 98 and 99%, and the selectivity to ethylene is between 94 and 97 mol%. Because of the rate of coke deposition, the catalyst must be regenerated frequently. Depending on the type of catalyst used, the cycle life is between 3 weeks and 4 months, followed by regeneration, for example for 3 days.

[0092] In the adiabatic design, the endothermic heat of reaction is supplied by a preheated inert diluent such as steam. Three fixed-bed reactors may typically be used, with intermediate furnaces to reheat the ethanol / steam mixed feed stream to each reactor. Feeding steam with ethanol results in less coke formation, longer catalyst activity, and higher yields.

[0093] A further process is a fluidized-bed process. The fluidized-bed system offers excellent temperature control in the reactor, thereby minimizing by-product formation. The heat distribution rate of the fluidized bed operation approaches isothermal conditions. The endothermic heat of reaction is supplied by the hot recycled silica-alumina catalyst returning from the catalyst regenerator. Thus, external heating of the reactor is not necessary.

[0094] After dehydration, the reaction mixture is subjected to a separation step. The general separation scheme consists of quickly cooling the reaction gas, for example in a water quench tower, which separates most of the by-product water and the unreacted ethanol from ethylene and other light components which, for example exit from the top of the quench tower. In one type of separation scheme, the water-washed ethylene stream is immediately caustic-washed, for example in a column, to remove traces of CO2. The gaseous stream may enter a compressor directly or pass to a surge gas holder first and then to a gas compressor. After compression, the gas is cooled with refrigeration and then passed through an adsorber with, for example activated carbon, to remove traces of heavy components, (e.g., C4s), if they are present. The adsorber is followed by a desiccant drying and dust filtering step before the ethylene product leaves the plant. This separation scheme produces 99%+ purity ethylene. If desired, the ethylene is further purified by caustic washing and desiccant-drying, and fractionated in a low-temperature column to obtain the final product.

[0095] Several commercial processes are currently in operation, developed by Braskem, Chematur, British Petroleum (BP), and Axens together with Total and IFPEN. The processes differ, e.g., in their process conditions, catalysts and adopted heat integration scheme. The process by BP (now Technip) is called Hummingbird. In this process, a heteropoly acid is used as catalyst, and the reactor operates at 160 to 270 °C and 1 to 45 bar. The unreacted ethanol in recirculated to the reactor. The process developed by Axens is called Atol Two fixed bed adiabatic reactors, operating at 400 to 500 °C, are used. Chematur's process operates with four adiabatic tubular reactors. Syndol catalysts, with the main components of AhOs-MgO / SiC^, are employed in this process that was developed by American Halcon Scientific Design, Inc. in the 1980s. In the Braskem process, the adiabatic reactor feed is diluted with steam to a large extent. In such a process, the reactor operates at 180 to 600 °C, preferably 300 to 500 °C, and at 1.9 to 19.6 bar. An alumina or silica-alumina catalyst is used. The Braskem process is described in more detail in US 4,232,179. A process control in accordance with the Braskem process is particularly preferred. Metathesis:

[0096] Ethylene can undergo metathesis with n-butenes to produce propylene. The process according to the present invention comprises step F) in which a metathesis reaction between the n-butene stream (4) and the ethylene stream (3) is conducted to obtain the propylene stream (5). The metathesis reaction is carried out in the olefin conversion unit (104) The n-butene stream (4) can be obtained from various sources all of which are known to the person skilled in the art. Preferably the n-butene stream (4) is obtained by subjecting or having subjected a feedstock comprising hydrocarbons to a thermal cracking process preferably steam cracking. Such hydrocarbons can originate from a fossil or bio feedstock. They may also originate from a recycled feedstock, such as a pyrolysis oil derived from plastic or other waste streams. Preferably there is an interconnection between the olefin conversion unit (104) and the cracker (105), preferably such interconnection is established via a pipeline.

[0097] In a preferred embodiment, the n-butene stream (4) is obtained by a process comprising:

[0098] I. subjecting or having subjected a feedstock comprising hydrocarbons to a thermal cracking process to obtain an ethylene stream (3a), a propylene stream (5a), and the n-butene stream (4),

[0099] II. optionally feeding or having fed the ethylene stream (3a) into the ethylene pipeline grid (101) and the propylene stream (5a) into the propylene pipeline grid (102).

[0100] The process of cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock to obtain olefins, including their separation is well known to the person skilled in the art. The primary main cracking products are fuel gas (mainly hydrogen and methane), ethylene, propylene, crude C4, pyoil and fuel oil. Usually, in a typical setup, the crude C4 stream is further separated. Crude C4 is a mixture comprising 1 ,3-butadiene, iso-butene, 1 -butene, 2-butenes (cis, trans), n-butane and iso-butane. The exact composition depends on feedstock and cracking severity. First, butadiene is extracted from the crude C4 stream resulting in a so called "raffinate 1” stream (crude 04 minus 1 ,3-butadiene). Second, iso-butene is typically separated either by direct or indirect alkylation resulting in a so called “raffinate 2” stream (raffinate 1 minus isobutene). This raffinate 2 stream or any blending thereof, rich in n-butenes (1-butene and 2-butenes) is usually used in OCU.

[0101] Another option to obtain n-butene rich streams is the dimerization of ethylene, which is also sometimes directly combined with an Olefin Conversion Unit in a petrochemical complex.

[0102] The n-butene stream (4) usually comprises 2-butene, 1-butene, n-butane and iso-butane. The amount of n-butane and iso-butane may be in the range from 20 to 50 wt.-%, based on the overall weight of the n-butene stream (4).

[0103] It is to be noted, that only the 2-butenes react in a metathesis reaction, while 1-butene (as well as n-butane and isobutane) is essentially inert. Thus, only the 2-butene can be directly subjected to a metathesis reaction. In a preferred embodiment, it is possible to convert 1-butene to 2-butene simultaneously with the metathesis reaction. For this purpose, a metathesis catalyst and an isomerization catalyst may be physically mixed or provided as distinct layers to allow both reactions to proceed simultaneously. Thus, in one embodiment, step F) comprises: F)-(i) subjecting or having subjected the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to a metathesis reaction, wherein the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) are passed through a metathesis / isomerization zone comprising both a metathesis catalyst and an isomerization catalyst to obtain a raw propylene stream (r-p), and

[0104] F)-(ii) subjecting or having subjected the raw propylene stream (r-p) to a sequence of distillation steps to remove unreacted ethylene as well as n-butane and iso-butane and to obtain the propylene stream (5)

[0105] Steps F)-(i) to F)-(ii) are usually conducted in the OCU (104). The raw propylene stream (r-p) typically comprises ethylene, propylene, n-butene, n-butane, and iso-butane.

[0106] In one embodiment the n-butane and iso-butane removed in step F)-(ii) are being subjected or having subjected to a thermal cracking process. This may be realized by recycling them to the cracker (105).

[0107] As 2-butene is consumed due to the metathesis reaction over the metathesis catalyst, it is thus replenished by isomerization of 1-butene to 2-butene over the isomerization catalyst.

[0108] The reaction is carried out in the presence of a metathesis catalyst on the basis of a metal which is selected from tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium, niobium, tantalum, vanadium, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and nickel and the like. Tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium are preferred, and tungsten is particularly preferred. Typically, tungsten catalysts are supported on silica, molybdenum and rhenium are supported on alumina based carriers. Especially preferred metathesis catalysts are WO3-based catalysts, for example silica-supported WO3 in the form of granules.

[0109] Suitable isomerization catalysts include magnesium-based catalysts such as MgO-based catalysts, for example tableted MgO.

[0110] Metathesis is carried out under conditions effective to produce an effluent comprising propylene, unconverted ethylene, and optionally n-butane and iso-butane. Typically, it further comprises unreacted n-butene. I.e. 2-butene not being reacted and 1-butene not being reacted or isomerized (in case an isomerization catalyst is employed).

[0111] Unconverted ethylene and / or unconverted n-butenes may be recycled and combined with fresh ethylene and n- butenes to provide the metathesis feedstock.

[0112] The reaction may be conducted at 340 - 375°C, 25-40 bar, a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 7.5-30 hr1, and an ethylene to 2-butene molar ratio in the range from 3:1 to 10:1. The separation as per step F)-(ii) may be carried out as follows. The reactor effluent may be sent to a deethenizer to remove C2 (comprising ethylene) and lighter material. The bottoms from the deethenizer are sent to the depropenizer. High-purity, preferably polymer-grade propylene (> 99.9% molar purity) is recovered from the depropenizer overhead. The lighter material from the deethenizer and heavier C4+ material from the depropenizer can be partly recycled to the reactor(s). Another part of the heavier C4+ material (such as n-butane, iso-butane, and unreacted n-butene) from the depropenizer can be subjected to thermal cracking (for example by recycling them to the cracker (105)).

[0113] The terms “deethenizer'' and “depropenizer" denote respective distillation columns which provide for sufficient separation efficiency to separate ethylene and propylene, respectively.

[0114] Thus, in a more preferred embodiment, step F)-(ii) comprises:

[0115] F)-(ii)-a) subjecting or having subjected the raw propylene stream (r-p) to a first distillation step in a deethenizer to remove unreacted ethylene as an overhead stream and to obtain a bottom stream depleted in ethylene,

[0116] F)-(ii)-b) subjecting or having subjected the bottom stream obtained in step F)-(ii)-a) to a second distillation step in a depropenizer to obtain the propylene stream (5) as an overhead stream and a bottom stream comprising n-butene, n-butane and iso-butane, and

[0117] F)-(ii)-c) subjecting or having subjected at least a part of the bottom stream obtained in step F-(ii)-b) to a thermal cracking process.

[0118] The bottom stream obtained in step F-(ii)-b) usually comprises hydrocarbons with more than four C-atoms. Step F)- (ii)-c) may be realized by recycling at least a part of the bottom stream obtained in step F-(ii)-b) to the cracker (105).

[0119] In an even more preferred embodiment, step F)-(ii) comprises:

[0120] F)-(ii)-a) subjecting or having subjected the raw propylene stream (r-p) to a fist distillation step in a deethenizer to remove unreacted ethylene as an overhead stream and to obtain a bottom stream depleted in ethylene, F)-(ii)-b) subjecting or having subjected the bottom stream obtained in step F)-(ii)-a) to a second distillation step in a depropenizer to obtain the propylene stream (5) as an overhead stream, a side stream comprising n-butene, n-butane and iso-butane, and a bottom stream comprising n-butene, n-butane, and isobutane,

[0121] F)-(ii)-c) subjecting or having subjected at least a part of the bottom stream obtained in step F-(ii)-b) to a thermal cracking process, and

[0122] F)-(ii)-d) recycling or having recycled a part of the side stream obtained in step F-(ii)-b) to step F-(i).

[0123] The advantage of recycling the side stream instead of the bottom stream is, that the side stream usually comprises less C5+ hydrocarbons (those having more than four C-atoms) and therefore has a higher C4 content (including a higher n-butene content) than the bottom stream. Nonetheless, it also comprises inert material such as n-butane and iso-butane. To avoid their accumulation, only a part is recycled in step F-(ii)-d).

[0124] Preferably, the ethylene removed according to step F)-(ii)-a) as defined in the two embodiments above is partially recycled to step F)-(i).

[0125] It should be noted that propane is not produced during the metathesis reaction. Consequently, polymer-grade propylene can be produced from the process, without the need for an expensive propylene-propane superfractionator

[0126] Commercial processes for producing polymer-grade propylene by metathesis from ethylene and butenes feedstock are available from CB&I / Lummus (tradnemame OCT™) and from Lyondell Basell.

[0127] Propylene-derived chemicals:

[0128] Definitions for “propylene-derived chemicals”, ‘primary propylene-derived chemical (s)”, “downstream propylenederived chemical(s)” are provided in the definition section above.

[0129] In a preferred embodiment step I) comprises: l)-(i) subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain one or more primary propylene-derived chemical (s), preferably selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, n-butyraldehyde, iso-butyraldehyde, and propylene oxide; l)-(ii) optionally subjecting or having subjected the one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s) to a chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversion to obtain one or more downstream propylenederived chemical (s).

[0130] Preferably the one or more downstream propylene-derived chemical (s) is / are selected from the group consisting of 1 ,2-propanediol, n-butanol, iso-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol, i-butyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, poly(acrylic acid), di(octyl)hexanedioate , bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, tris(2-ethylhexyl)trimellitate, polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units, and derivatives of polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units.

[0131] In another preferred embodiment the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) is / are selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, n-butyraldehyde, iso-butyraldehyde, propylene oxide, 1 ,2-propanediol, n-butanol, isobutanol, 2-ethylhexanol, i-butyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, poly(acrylic acid), di (octyl)hexanedioate , bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, tris(2-ethylhexyl)trimellitate, polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units, and derivatives of polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units. The term “polyether polyol comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units”, means a chemical compound that comprises one or more propylene oxide (PO) units optionally along with other ether (-O-) functional groups (for example ethylene oxide (EO) units) within its molecular structure and which comprises two or more alcohol groups.

[0132] A propylene oxide (PO) unit has the following chemical structure:

[0133] Propylene oxide is a commonly used monomer in the production of polyether polyols. The inclusion of propylene oxide (PO) units in the polyol structure provides specific properties, such as improved hydrophobicity, increased flexibility, and enhanced resistance to solvents or chemicals. These polyether polyols can be utilized in various applications, including the production of flexible foams, coatings, and adhesives, where the presence of PO units imparts desired characteristics to the final product.

[0134] Such polyether polyols are usually created by the reaction of propylene oxide (optionally with other epoxides, in particular ethylene oxide) with an initiator or starter compound, typically an alcohol.

[0135] Preferred polyether polyols are dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol.

[0136] Another preferred polyether polyol is a polyalkylene glycol comprising four or more PO units and optionally one or more other alkylene oxide units (preferably one or more ethylene oxide units)

[0137] Other preferred polyether polyols are selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl starch. In such polyether polyols some of the hydroxyl groups in the repeating glucose units have been hydroxypropylated forming -OCH2CH(OH)CH3 groups using propylene oxide. They are used for instance in pharma, food and cosmetical applications.

[0138] The term “derivative of a polyether polyol comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units" means any chemical compound that is obtainable from subjecting a respective polyether polyol specific above to one or more chemical conversion steps.

[0139] A polyurethane is a preferred derivative. It is obtainable by subjecting a respective polyether polyol with a polyisocyanate to a polyaddition, preferably in the presence of a suitable catalyst. Preferred polyisocyanates are selected from the group consisting of toluene diisocyanate, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, or any mixture therefrom. A surfactant is another preferred derivative. Nonionic, anionic, and cationic surfactants are preferred. Nonionic surfactants do not carry an electrical charge and are commonly used in a variety of applications, such as detergents, cosmetics, and personal care products. A simple example of a nonionic surfactant is polyoxypropylene glycol. Anionic surfactants contain a negatively charged group and are often used as detergents or cleaning agents Typical anionic surfactants comprise a sulfate group bearing the negative charge. Cationic surfactants carry a positive charge and are commonly used as fabric softeners, hair conditioners, and antimicrobial agents. Typical cationic surfactants comprise a quaternary ammonium group bearing the positive charge

[0140] The manufacture of primary propylene-derived chemical(s) is described in more detail hereafter.

[0141] Acrylic acid:

[0142] Acrylic acid is obtained by subjecting propylene to a partial oxidation reaction. Acrylic acid is an important basic chemical. Owing to its very reactive double bond and the acid function, it is suitable in particular for use as monomer for preparing polymers. Of the amount of acrylic acid monomer produced, the major part is esterified before polymerization, for example to form acrylate adhesives, dispersions or coatings. Only the smaller part of the acrylic acid monomer produced is polymerized directly, for example to form water-absorbent resins. Whereas, in general, the direct polymerization of acrylic acid requires high purity monomer, the acrylic acid for conversion into acrylate before polymerization does not have to be so pure.

[0143] It is common knowledge that acrylic acid can be produced by heterogeneously catalyzed gas phase oxidation of propylene with molecular oxygen over solid catalysts at temperatures between 200° to 400° C. in two stages via acrolein (cf. for example DE-A 19 62 431 , DE-A 29 43 707, DE-C 1 205502, EP-A 257 565, EP-A253 409, DE-B 22 51 364, EPA 117 146, GB-C 1 450 986 and EP-A 293 224). The catalysts used are oxidic multicomponent catalysts based for example on oxides of the elements molybdenum, chromium, vanadium or tellurium. Five most commonly used catalyst systems for acrolein production are cuprous oxides, uranium antimony oxides, tin antimony oxides, bismuth molybdate oxides and multi-component bismuth molybdate based oxides. The most efficient catalysts for partial oxidation of propylene to acrolein consist of multi-component metal oxides systems. In almost every multicomponent catalyst system, bismuth molybdate serves as the main ingredient. The following components are most commonly used as catalyst additives in molybdate bismuth oxide based catalysts: iron, cobalt, nickel, tungsten, potassium and phosphorous. Typical catalyst supports are inert porous solids, such as SiO2, AI2O3, MgO, TiO2, ZrO2, aluminosilicates, zeolites, activated carbon, and ceramics.

[0144] The oxidation of propylene to acrylic acid can be carried out in one stage or two stages. Catalysts used for the heterogeneously catalyzed reaction are as a rule multimetal oxide materials which generally contain heavy metal molybdates as main component and compounds of various elements as promoters. The oxidation of propylene takes place in a first step to give acrolein and in a second step to give acrylic acid. Since the two oxidation steps may differ in their kinetics, uniform process conditions and a single catalyst do not as a rule lead to optimum selectivity.

[0145] Recently, two-stage processes with optimum adaptation of catalyst and process variables have therefore preferably been developed. In general, propylene is oxidized to acrolein in the presence of molecular oxygen in the first stage in an exothermic reaction in a fixed-bed tubular reactor. The reaction products are passed directly into the second reactor and are further oxidized to acrylic acid. The reaction gases obtained in the second stage can be condensed and the acrylic acid can be isolated therefrom by extraction and / or distillation.

[0146] The oxidation of propylene to acrolein and / or acrylic acid is highly exothermic. The tubes of the fixed-bed tubular reactor which are filled with the heterogeneous catalyst are therefore surrounded by a cooling medium, as a rule a salt melt, such as a eutectic mixture of KNO3 and NaNC . The heat of reaction is released through the wall of the catalyst-filled tubes to the salt bath.

[0147] Particularly preferred multimetal oxide materials have the formula I or II

[0148] [X1aX2bOx]p[X3cX4dX5eX6fX7gX2hOy]q(I)

[0149] Moi2Bi,X8kFe9mX10nOz(II) where

[0150] X1is bismuth, tellurium, antimony, tin and / or copper, preferably bismuth, X2is molybdenum and / or tungsten,

[0151] X3is an alkali metal, thallium and / or samarium, preferably potassium,

[0152] X4is an alkaline earth metal, nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, zinc, tin, cadmium and / or mercury, preferably nickel and / or cobalt,

[0153] X5is iron, chromium, cerium and / or vanadium, preferably iron, X6is phosphorus, arsenic, boron and / or antimony,

[0154] X7is a rare earth metal, titanium, zirconium, niobium, tantalum, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, silver, gold, aluminum, gallium, indium, silicon, germanium, lead, thorium and / or uranium, preferably silicon, aluminum, titanium and / or zirconium, a is from 0.01 to 8, b is from 0.1 to 30, c is from 0 to 4, d is from 0 to 20, e is from 0 to 20, f is from 0 to 6, g is from 0 to 15, h is from 8 to 16, x and y are numbers which are determined by the valency and frequency of the elements other than oxygen in I, p and q are numbers whose ratio p / q is from 0.1 to 10, X8is cobalt and / or nickel, preferably cobalt, X9is silicon and / or aluminum, preferably silicon, X10is an alkali metal, preferably potassium, sodium, cesium and / or rubidium, in particular potassium, i is from 0.1 to 2, k is from 2 to 10, I is from 0.5 to 10, m is from O to 10, n is from 0 to 0.5, z is a number which is determined by the valency and frequency of the elements other than oxygen in II.

[0155] Multimetal oxide materials of the formula I are known per se from EP 0 000 835 and EP 0 575 897, and multimetal oxide materials of the formula II are known per se from DE 198 55913.

[0156] Briefly, a process for preparing acrylic acid typically comprises the steps of:

[0157] (a) catalytic gas phase oxidation of propylene and / or acrolein to acrylic acid to obtain a gaseous reaction product comprising acrylic acid;

[0158] (b) solvent absorption of the reaction product;

[0159] (c) distillation of the solvent loaded with reaction product in a column to obtain a crude acrylic acid and the solvent,

[0160] (d) purification of the crude acrylic acid by crystallization.

[0161] Step (a) affords not pure acrylic acid, but a gaseous mixture which in addition to acrylic acid can substantially include unconverted acrolein and / or propylene, water vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, acetic acid, propionic acid, formaldehyde, further aldehydes and maleic anhydride.

[0162] The remaining, unabsorbed reaction gas of step (a) is further cooled down so that the condensable part of the low- boiling co-components thereof, especially water, formaldehyde and acetic acid, may be separated off by condensation. This condensate is known as acid water. The remaining gas stream, hereinafter called recycle gas, consists predominantly of nitrogen, carbon oxides and unconverted starting materials. Preferably, the recycle gas is partly recirculated into the reaction stages as diluting gas.

[0163] The oxidation of propylene to acrolein, as well as the oxidation of acrolein to acrylic acid, proceed with less than 100% selectivity and are accompanied by the combustion of propylene or acrolein over the catalyst, which gives carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, herein collectively referred to as COX. It should be appreciated that emission of the carbon dioxide side product does not contribute to the carbon footprint of this process, as the starting propylene is carbon neutral. n-butyraldevhde and iso-butyraldehvde: n-butyraldeyhde and iso-butyraldehyde (including a mixture thereof) are obtained by subjecting propylene to a hydroformylation reaction. If desired, the produced aldehydes can be separated by fractionation. Hydroformylation or the oxo process is an important large-scale industrial process for preparing aldehydes from olefins, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. These aldehydes can optionally be hydrogenated with hydrogen in the same operation or subsequently in a separate hydrogenation step, to produce the corresponding alcohols. In general, hydroformylation is carried out in the presence of catalysts which are homogeneously dissolved in the reaction medium. Catalysts used are generally the carbonyl complexes of metals of transition group VIII, in particular Co, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt or Ru, which may be unmodified or modified with, for example, amine-containing or phosphine-containing ligands. A summarizing account of the processes practiced on a large scale in industry is found in J. Falbe, “New Syntheses with Carbon Monoxide”, Springer Verlag 1980, p. 162 ff, US 3,527,809; 3,917,661; 4, 148,830; 4,742,178, 4,769,984; 4,885,401; 6,049,011.

[0164] Propylene is preferably hydroformylated using ligand-modified rhodium carbonyls as the catalyst. Hydroformylation of propylene can be carried out at temperatures in the range from 50 °C to 200 °C, preferably 60 °C to 150 °C, and more preferably 70 °C to 120 °C.

[0165] In one embodiment, the hydroformylation reaction is conducted at a low pressure, e.g. , a pressure in the range from 0.05 to 50 MPa (absolute), and preferably in the range from about 0.1 MPa to 30 MPa, most preferably at a pressure below 5 MPa. Desirably, the partial pressure of carbon monoxide is not greater than 50% of the total pressure.

[0166] The proportions of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and propylene in the hydroformylation reaction medium can be selected within a wide range. In some embodiments, based on the total amount of CO, hydrogen, and propylene, CO is from about 1 to 50 mol-%, preferably about 1 to 35 mol-%; H2 is from about 1 to 98 mol-%, preferably about 10 to 90 mol-%; and propylene is from about 0.1 to 35 mol-%, preferably about 1 to 35 mol-%.

[0167] The hydroformylation reaction preferably takes place in the presence of both liquid and gas phases. The reactants generally are in the gas phase. The catalyst typically is in the liquid phase. Because the reactants are gaseous compounds, a high contact surface area between the gas and liquid phases is desirable to enhance good mass transfer. A high contact surface area between the catalyst solution and the gas phase may be provided in any suitable manner. In a batch process, the batch contents are thoroughly mixed during the course of the reaction. In a continuous operation the reactor feed gas can be contacted with the catalyst solution in, for example, a continuous- flow stirred autoclave where the gas is introduced and dispersed at the bottom of the vessel, preferably through a perforated inlet (e.g., a sparger). High contact between the catalyst and the gas feed may also be provided by dispersing the solution of the Rh catalyst on a high surface area support, a technique well known in the art as supported liquid phase catalysis or providing the Rh as part of a permeable gel.

[0168] The reaction may be conducted either in a batch mode or, preferably, on a continuous basis. One or more reactors may be used in continuous modes to carry out the reaction in one or more stages. The ratio of H2 to CO in the syngas used for hydroformylation is desirably in the range from 1.1 :1 to 1.01 :1, preferably 1 .06:1 to 1 .02:1 . Often, syngas may be made or otherwise initially provided in a manner such that the ratio of hydrogen to CO is much higher than this. The excess hydrogen can be separated and used in other reaction stages as desired. For example, the excess hydrogen may be used to reduce propionaldehyde to propanol. In some modes of practice, syngas in the practice of the present invention is anhydrous.

[0169] Propylene oxide:

[0170] Propylene oxide is obtained by subjecting propylene to a partial oxidation reaction

[0171] The oxidation of propylene is typically carried out with an organic peroxide. The following hydroperoxides are generally used:

[0172] 1) t-Butyl hydroperoxides, derived from the oxygenation of isobutane (Halcon process).

[0173] 2) Ethylbenzene hydroperoxide, derived from the oxygenation of ethylbenzene.

[0174] 3) Cumene hydroperoxides, derived from the oxygenation of cumene (isopropylbenzene).

[0175] 4) Hydrogen peroxide, or a hydrogen peroxide source, catalyzed by a titanium-doped silicalite (HPPO process).

[0176] Preferably, the oxidation of propylene is carried out using hydrogen peroxide, or a hydrogen peroxide source. Using hydrogen peroxide or a hydrogen peroxide source has the advantage that water is obtained as a side product, rather than an alcohol.

[0177] In one embodiment, the oxidation of propylene comprises

[0178] 1) introducing a feed stream comprising propylene, hydrogen peroxide or a hydrogen peroxide source, and an organic solvent into a reactor containing a catalyst;

[0179] 2) subjecting the feed stream to epoxidation conditions in the presence of the catalyst so as to obtain a reaction mixture comprising propylene oxide and the organic solvent;

[0180] 3) removing a product stream comprising the propylene oxide and the organic solvent from the reactor.

[0181] In case that hydrogen peroxide is employed, it is preferred that the hydrogen peroxide is an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, wherein the solution comprises preferably 30 to 50 wt.-% hydrogen peroxide relative to the total amount of water.

[0182] It is also possible that the hydrogen peroxide is formed in situ in the reaction mixture from hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of a suitable catalyst or catalyst system, for example in the presence of a titanium containing zeolite additionally containing one or more noble metals, or a titanium containing zeolite and an additional catalyst containing one or more noble metals, for example supported on a suitable support such as charcoal or a suitable inorganic oxide or mixture of inorganic oxides. Suitable organic solvents include alcohols, nitriles, and mixtures thereof, optionally also water. Preferably, the organic solvent is selected methanol and acetonitrile. Most preferably, the organic solvent is acetonitrile.

[0183] Generally, the feed stream is not restricted regarding the molar ratio of propylene and hydrogen peroxide or one equivalent of hydrogen peroxide resulting from the hydrogen peroxide source. Preferably, propylene is present in a molar excess in the feed stream with regard to hydrogen peroxide or one equivalent of hydrogen peroxide resulting from the hydrogen peroxide source. Preferably, the molar ratio of propylene and hydrogen peroxide or one equivalent of hydrogen peroxide resulting from the hydrogen peroxide source in the feed stream is from 1 to 1 6, more preferably from 1.1 to 1.55, more preferably from 1.2 to 1.5, more preferably from 1 40 to 1.45.

[0184] Typically, the catalyst is a titanium containing zeolite. The zeolite catalyst is preferably of MWW-type framework structure. The catalyst is thus preferably a "titanium zeolite of framework structure type MWW”, also referred to as "TiMWW", which terms relate to a zeolite of framework structure MWW which contains titanium as isomorphous substitution element in the zeolitic framework. Preferably, the zeolitic framework is essentially free of aluminum and essentially consists of silicon, titanium, and oxygen.

[0185] The titanium containing zeolite preferably comprises one or more of Al, B, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Or, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, Pb, Pd, Pt, Au, Cd, preferably one or more of B, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, Pb, Pd, Pt, Au, Cd, more preferably Zn.

[0186] Preferably, the titanium zeolite of framework structure type MWW comprised in the catalyst contains titanium, calculated as elemental titanium, in an amount in the range from 0.1 to 5 weight-%, more preferably from 0.2 to 4 weight-%, more preferably from 0.5 to 3 weight-%, more preferably from 1 to 2 weight-%, based on the total weight of the titanium zeolite of framework structure type MWW.

[0187] The feed stream subjected to epoxidation conditions in the reactor in the presence of the catalyst, and a reaction mixture comprising the propylene oxide and the organic solvent is obtained. The reactor can be operated in an isothermal or in an adiabatic manner, wherein it is preferred that the reactor is an isothermally operated reactor. Preferably, the reaction is carried out in a tube reactor or in a tube bundle reactor.

[0188] Preferably, the reaction temperature is in the range from 20 to 100 °C, more preferably from 25 to 80 °C, more preferably from 25 to 60 °C, more preferably from 30 to 60 °C.

[0189] Preferably, the reaction pressure is in the range from 5 to 100 bar, more preferably from 10 to 32 bar, more preferably from 15 to 25 bar, wherein the epoxidation reaction pressure is defined as the pressure at the exit of the isothermal reactor.

[0190] A product stream comprising the propylene oxide and the organic solvent is removed from the reactor. Said product stream is typically subjected to at least one work-up step to isolate the propylene oxide from the product stream. Further, the organic solvent, which typically comprises side products of the epoxidation reaction, is preferably subjected to one or more work-up steps to allow recirculation of the organic solvent, preferably acetonitrile, preferably after one or more purification steps, into step 1).

[0191] The manufacture of downstream propylene-derived chemicals from primary propylene-derived chemical(s) is well known to person skilled in the art, wherefore no details need to be given herein.

[0192] Second aspect of the present invention:

[0193] The second aspect of the present invention puts an even stronger emphasis to the realization of the present invention by more than one entity as exemplified in Fig. 3. The realization can be separated in three main parts, namely the manufacture of the propylene derived chemicals (steps a) and b) corresponding to steps H) and I) of the first aspect), the operation of the OCU (104) (steps c) to e) corresponding to steps D) to F) of the first aspect), and the operation of the ethanol dehydration plant (103) (steps f) to g) corresponding to steps f) and g) of the first aspect). Thus, the same advantages laid down above for the first aspect also apply for the second aspect of the present invention. All preferred features and embodiments specified herein for the first aspect of the invention equally apply to the second aspect.

[0194] Third aspect of the present invention:

[0195] The third aspect of the present invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of one or more propylenederived chemical(s).

[0196] Preferably except for the ethylene pipeline grid (101), there being no interconnection between the ethanol dehydration plant (105) and the olefin conversion unit (104).

[0197] The features I) to v) of the apparatus according to the present invention are described in more detail above, in particular in the definitions section of this application.

[0198] Fourth aspect of the present invention:

[0199] The fourth aspect of the present invention relates to computer-implemented method for attributing at least one environmental attribute. This method provides a technically efficient and transparent way to handle the assignment of environmental attributes to propylene-derived products.

[0200] In general, the environmental attributes of a chemical product cannot be physically measured, except for bio-carbon (i.e. originating from any kind of biomass). The C14content of the latter is physically measurable, however only to a certain limit of detection. Nonetheless, also a C14measurement would not provide for retractability to the origin of the renewable carbon. For instance, one cannot obtain any knowledge from such measurement to distinguish whether the carbon atom originates from a first- or a second-generation ethanol. As outlined above, the mass balance approach allows to freely attribute environmental attributes in a chemical production network provided there is a physical connection throughout the value chain. The process for the manufacture of propylene-derived chemicals according to the present invention, constitutes a complex chemical production network that requires efficient ways to handle environmental attributes.

[0201] The fourth aspect of the present invention disclosed herein provides an efficient way to track environmental attributes and provide propylene-derived chemicals with positive environmental impact through the value chain. By using a virtual accounting system with attribution rules for balancing environmental attributes associated with input materials, such attributes can be efficiently assigned to propylene-derived chemicals. Specifically, when more than one propylene-derived chemical is produced, the use of the virtual accounting system with attribution rules allows to reliably assign environmental attributes in line with the physical setup of the chemical production network and to tailor the digital assets associated with the propylene-derived chemicals to the needs of customers. The virtual accounting system and the associated metadata structure further allows to decouple the complexity in material flow of chemical production networks while still allowing to tailor environmental impact to each propylene-derived chemical. This way the environmental impact of the produced propylene-derived chemical can be determined in line with the physical set up of the chemical production network and the tailored needs of customers. Moreover, the environmental property of the propylene-derived chemicals produced by the chemical production network can be made transparent to customers further processing the propylene-derived chemicals. By providing chemical product identifiers associated with at least one environmental attribute, the environmental attributes and as such the digital asset attached to the propylene-derived chemical can be adjusted to customer needs.

[0202] The attribution of environmental attributes according to the present invention in the framework of the mass balance approach is illustrated by way of an example as follows:

[0203] Bioethanol is converted to ethylene as per step B) of the present invention. The bioethanol is provided with respective, certified feedstock data e.g. feedstock origin, bio-content, product carbon footprint, certification scheme etc., so called environmental attributes. These environmental attributes can be considered as virtual products with dedicated article numbers in a virtual accounting system. In the next steps, these environmental attributes are allocated or assigned to sales products, if a feedstock - product connectivity exists. The amount of environmental attributes, which are allocated to a sales product is calculated based on a mass-balancing approach. In a massbalancing approach it is crucial to determine, how much fossil resources are displaced by renewable feedstocks. The amount of fossil feedstock is calculated based on the production recipe (“Bill-of-Material”) of the entire feedstock-to- product value chain. The substitution is typically based on the lower heating value and / or the carbon content of the feedstock

[0204] A propylene-derived chemical (for example (poly)acrylic acid) is produced in accordance with the present invention and intended to be assigned with the maximum amount of environmental attributes, which is determined by the Bill- of-Material. In this example, 80 % of the necessary SMAs are coming from a first-generation ethanol source and 20 % of the necessary environmental attributes are coming from a second-generation ethanol source. The respective amounts are deducted from the respective environmental attributes accounts in the virtual accounting system. Preferred embodiments of the computer-implemented method according to the present invention including respective combinations of features are outlined in the below embodiments 1 to 13.

[0205] 1 A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 14.

[0206] 2 The method according to embodiment 1, wherein determining the environmental attributes associated with the input material via the virtual production process further comprises determining the amount of the input material.

[0207] 3. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein determining the environmental attributes associated with the input material via the virtual production process further comprises determining a value associated with the input material.

[0208] 4. The method according to embodiment 3, wherein the value associated with the input material is related to a difference in cost between the input material and a corresponding amount of fossil input material.

[0209] 5. The method according to embodiment 3, wherein the value associated with the input material is related to a difference in cost between the input material and a corresponding amount of fossil input material.

[0210] 6. The method according to embodiment 1, wherein assigning or attributing the one or more environmental attribute(s) to the chemical product identifier comprises producing a digital asset that specifies a chemical product with the combination of the chemical product identifier and the one or more environmental attributes.

[0211] 7. The method according to embodiment 6, wherein the digital asset uniquely specifies a chemical product with the combination of the chemical product identifier and the one or more environmental attributes.

[0212] 8. The method according to embodiment 7, wherein the chemical product identifier is associated with a product specification for the chemical product.

[0213] 9 The method according to embodiment 6, wherein the digital asset includes a value associated with the input material, wherein the value associated with the input material is related to a difference in cost between the input material and a corresponding amount of fossil input material.

[0214] 10. The method according to embodiment 1, further comprising providing multiple input material(s) associated with one or more environmental attribute(s) to the chemical production network, including a first input material and a second input material. 11 . The method according to embodiment 10, wherein providing input material data associated with the input material further comprises: providing a first input material data associated with the first input material; and providing a second input material data associated with the second input material

[0215] 12. The method according to embodiment 11, further comprising: providing at least one balancing account associated with one or more environmental attribute(s) of the first input material and the second input material.

[0216] 13. The method according to embodiment 12, wherein assigning or attributing the one or more environmental attribute(s) to the chemical product identifier comprises: generating a digital asset that includes the chemical product identifier and the one or environmental attribute(s) of at least one of the first input material and the second input material; and linking the digital asset to the chemical product.

[0217] In a preferred embodiment of the method the propylene-derived chemical(s) is / are manufactured in accordance the first or the second aspect of the present invention. Any preferred embodiment specified for the first or second aspect of the present invention shall be equally preferred in connection with the fourth aspect.

[0218] More details regarding the computer-implemented method are disclosed in WO 2023 / 112013 A1 (BASF SE), which is herewith incorporated by reference. Unless not explicitly provided otherwise, respective terms and definition provided in such application shall equally apply to the present invention.

[0219] Fifth aspect of the present invention:

[0220] The fifth aspect of the present invention is related to an apparatus for attributing at least one environmental attribute. This apparatus provides a technically efficient and transparent way to handle the assignment of environmental attributes to propylene-derived products.

[0221] Preferably the virtual production module is further configured to determine an amount of the input material; and determine a value associated with the input material.

[0222] More details regarding the apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention are disclosed in WO 2023 / 112013 A1 (BASF SE), which is herewith incorporated by reference. Unless not explicitly provided otherwise, respective terms and definition provided in such application shall equally apply to the present invention.

[0223] FIGURES

[0224] The invention is further illustrated by the Figures that follow: Fig. 1 depicts a state-of-the-art set-up. The ethanol dehydration plant 103 provides a renewable ethylene stream 2a to an ethylene value chain at the location of the ethanol dehydration plant 103. The ethylene pipeline grid 101 and the propylene pipeline grid 102 are supplied by the cracker 105 via ethylene stream 3a and propylene stream 5b. A cracker can only produce a fixed ratio of ethylene to propylene (usually in the range 2:1). In some cases, the amount of propylene provided by the cracker 105 is not sufficient, if more propylene is required as ethylene for downstream value chains. To increase propylene production, the ethylene stream 3a and the n-butene stream 4 are fed from the cracker 105 to the olefin conversion unit 104, where propylene is obtained from metathesis of ethylene and n-butene. The resulting propylene stream 5a is fed to the propylene pipeline grid 102 The propylene stream 6 is withdrawn from the propylene pipeline grid 103 and subjected to a chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversions 11 to obtain one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) 7. The ethanol dehydration plant 103 and the olefin conversion unit 104 are located at different production sites, thus, there is no interconnection between them.

[0225] Fig. 2 depicts an embodiment according to the invention. A renewable ethanol stream 1 is fed to the ethanol dehydration plant 103, where the ethanol is subjected to a dehydration to obtain renewable ethylene. A renewable ethylene stream 2 is withdrawn from the ethanol dehydration plant 103 and fed to the ethylene pipeline grid 101. The ethylene pipeline grid 101 is configured to transport ethylene over long distances, to receive ethylene from a plurality of ethylene production facilities (not shown in Figure 2) and to provide ethylene to a plurality of ethylene conversion facilities (not shown in Figure 2). Nowadays many of these ethylene production facilities still use predominantly a fossil feedstock. Thus, in such case a considerably high amount of the ethylene transported via the pipeline grid is fossil. In any case, the renewable ethylene from the dehydration plant 103 is mixed with ethylene from various ethylene production facilities. Thus, the ethylene stream 3 withdrawn from the ethylene pipeline grid 101 comprises a certain amount of the renewable ethylene stream 2 fed to the ethylene pipeline grid 101 . The ethylene stream 3 and the n-butene stream 4 are subjected to metathesis in the olefin conversion unit 104 to obtain propylene. The n- butene stream 4 is preferably obtained from cracker 105, which preferably also feeds the ethylene stream 3a to the ethylene pipeline grid 101 and the propylene stream 5b to the propylene pipeline grid. The propylene thus obtained comprises renewable carbon stemming from the renewable ethylene in the ethylene stream 3. Thus, the propylene stream 5, withdrawn from the olefin conversion unit 104 is partially renewable. Thus, by feeding the propylene stream 5 to the propylene pipeline grid 102, one provides renewable carbon originating from the renewable ethanol stream 1, to the propylene pipeline grid 102. Like the ethylene pipeline grid 101, the propylene pipeline grid 102 is configured to transport propylene over long distances, to receive propylene from a plurality of propylene production facilities (not shown in Figure 2) and to provide ethylene to a plurality of propylene conversion facilities (not shown in Figure 2). Nowadays many of these propylene production facilities still use predominantly a fossil feedstock. Thus, in such case a considerably high amount of the propylene transported via the pipeline grid is fossil. In any case, the partially renewable propylene from the dehydration plant 103 is mixed with propylene from various propylene production facilities. Thus, the propylene stream 6 withdrawn from the propylene pipeline grid 102 comprises a certain amount of the renewable carbon origination form the propylene stream 5 fed to the propylene pipeline grid 102. The propylene stream 6 is subjected to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions 11. Such conversion can be conducted at various production sites. For instance, a primary propylene-derived chemical can be manufactured at the site which is connected to the propylene pipeline 102. Such primary propylene-derived chemical can be transported (e.g. by truck, train or ship) to another production site, where one or more downstream propylene-derived chemical(s) are manufactured therefrom. In any conceivable scenario, a certain amount of the renewable carbon comprised in the propylene stream 6 is transferred to any resulting propylene-derived-chemicals. As per the steps elaborated above, such renewable carbon in the propylene-derived-chemicals originates from the renewable ethanol stream 1.

[0226] Fig. 3 depicts a typical scenario how the invention is realized. The depicted embodiment of the invention is in accordance with Fig 2. In general, the ethanol dehydration plant 102, the olefin conversion unit 104 and the chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversions 11 is not realized by one company. In this scenario, a company A operates the ethanol dehydration plant 102, a company B operates the olefin conversion unit 104 and a company C manufactures propylene-derived chemicals from the propylene stream 6. The n-butene stream 4 can be obtained from cracker 105, which preferably also feeds the ethylene stream 3a to the ethylene pipeline grid 101 and the propylene stream 5b to the propylene pipeline grid. The cracker 105 can be operated by company B or a company different from A, B and C. Further downstream olefin-derived products can also be realized by further companies (not shown in Fig. 3). Typically, the ethylene pipeline grid and the propylene pipeline grid are operated by companies different from A, B, C (not shown in the Fig. 3). In this scenario, company C realizes the invention because it manufactures propylene-derived chemicals that contain renewable carbon that originates from the renewable ethanol stream 1. Moreover, company C would also realize the present invention by assigning environmental attributes from the renewable ethylene stream 1 to one or more propylene-derived chemicals. Company A and B contribute to the realization by company C in feeding the ethylene stream 2 to the ethylene pipeline grid 101 (company A) and by feeding the propylene stream 5, which contains renewable carbon from the renewable ethanol stream 1, into the propylene pipeline grid 102.

[0227] LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0228] Fig. 1 :

[0229] 1 renewable ethanol

[0230] 2a renewable ethylene stream to on-site ethylene value chain 3a cracker ethylene stream to ethylene pipeline grid 3b cracker ethylene stream to OCU 4 n-butene stream

[0231] 5a propylene stream from OCU to propylene pipeline grid 5b propylene stream from cracker to propylene pipeline grid

[0232] 6 propylene stream withdrawn from propylene pipeline network

[0233] 7 one or more propylene-derived chemical(s)

[0234] 11 chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversions 101 ethylene pipeline grid

[0235] 102 propylene pipeline grid

[0236] 103 ethanol dehydration plant

[0237] 104 olefin conversion unit (OCU)

[0238] 105 cracker

[0239] Fig. 2 and 3:

[0240] I renewable ethanol

[0241] 3a cracker ethylene stream to ethylene pipeline grid (optional)

[0242] 3 ethylene stream

[0243] 4 n-butene stream

[0244] 5 propylene stream withdrawn from OCU

[0245] 5b propylene stream from cracker to propylene pipeline grid (optional)

[0246] 6 propylene stream withdrawn from propylene pipeline network

[0247] 7 one or more propylene-derived chemical(s)

[0248] II chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversions

[0249] 101 ethylene pipeline grid

[0250] 102 propylene pipeline grid

[0251] 103 ethanol dehydration plant

[0252] 104 olefin conversion unit (OCU)

[0253] 105 cracker (optional)

[0254] Optional features in Figures 2 and 3 are denoted by a dotted line.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A process for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) from ethylene using an ethylene pipeline grid (101) and a propylene pipeline grid (102), the process comprising:A) providing or having provided a renewable ethanol stream (1),B) feeding or having fed the renewable ethanol stream (1) into an ethanol dehydration plant (103), wherein such stream is subjected to a dehydration to obtain a renewable ethylene stream (2),C) feeding or having fed the renewable ethylene stream (2) into the ethylene pipeline grid (101),D) providing or having provided an ethylene stream (3) withdrawn from the ethylene pipeline grid (101),E) providing or having provided an n-butene stream (4),F) feeding or having fed the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to an olefin conversion unit (104), wherein such streams are subjected to a metathesis reaction to obtain a propylene stream (5),G) feeding or having fed the propylene stream (5) into the propylene pipeline grid (102),H) providing or having provided a propylene stream (6) withdrawn from the propylene pipeline grid (102), andI) subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain the one or more propylene-derived chemical (s).

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the ethanol dehydration plant (103) as per step B) is at a first location, the olefin conversion unit (104) as per step F) is at a second location, and the withdrawal of the propylene stream (6) from the propylene pipeline grid (102) as per step H) is at a third location, preferably wherein the distance between the first and second location is >50, >100, >200, >300 km, and the distance between the second and third location is > 50, >100, >200, >300 km.

3. The process according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein step I) comprises: l)-(i) subjecting or having subjected the propylene stream (6) to a chemical conversion or a sequence of chemical conversions to obtain one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s) preferably selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, n-butyraldehyde, iso-butyraldehyde, and propylene oxide, and l)-(ii) optionally subjecting or having subjected the one or more primary propylene-derived chemical(s) to a chemical conversion or sequence of chemical conversion to obtain one or more downstream propylenederived chemical(s).4 The process according to the preceding claim, wherein the one or more downstream propylene-derived chemical(s) selected from the group consisting of 1 ,2-propanediol, n-butanol, iso-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol, i- butyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, poly(acrylic acid), di(octyl)hexanedioate , bis(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate, tris(2-ethylhexyl)trimellitate, polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units, and derivatives of polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units.

5. The process according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) is / are selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, n-butyraldehyde, iso-butyraldehyde, propylene oxide, 1,2- propanediol, n-butanol, iso-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol, i-butyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, poly(acrylic acid), di(octyl)hexanedioate , bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, tris(2-ethylhexyl)trimellitate, polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units, and derivatives of polyether polyols comprising one or more propylene oxide (PO) units.6 The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the n-butene stream (4) is obtained by subjecting or having subjected a feedstock comprising hydrocarbons to a thermal cracking process7. The process according to the preceding claim, wherein the n-butene stream (4) is obtained by a process comprising:I. subjecting or having subjected a feedstock comprising hydrocarbons to a thermal cracking process to obtain an ethylene stream (3a), a propylene stream (5a), and the n-butene stream (4), andII. optionally feeding or having fed the ethylene stream (3a) into the ethylene pipeline grid (101) and the propylene stream (5a) into the propylene pipeline grid (102).

8. The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the n-butene stream (4) comprises 2-butene, 1 -butene, n-butane and iso-butane.

9. The process according to the preceding claim, wherein step F) comprises:F)-(i) subjecting or having subjected the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to a metathesis reaction, wherein the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) are passed through a metathesis / isomerization zone comprising both a metathesis catalyst and an isomerization catalyst to obtain a raw propylene stream (r-p), andF)-(ii) subjecting or having subjected the raw propylene stream (r-p) to a sequence of distillation steps to remove unreacted ethylene as well as n-butane and iso-butane and to obtain the propylene stream (5).

10. The process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein except for the ethylene pipeline grid (101), there being no interconnection between the ethanol dehydration plant (103) and the olefin conversion unit (104).

11. An apparatus for the manufacture of one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) from ethylene comprising: i) an ethylene pipeline grid (101), ii) a propylene pipeline grid (102), ill) an ethanol dehydration plant (103) configured to receive a renewable ethanol stream (1), to subject the renewable ethanol stream (1) to a dehydration to obtain an ethylene stream (2), and to provide the ethylene stream (2) to the ethylene pipeline grid (101),iv) an olefin conversion unit (104) configured to receive an ethylene stream (3) from the ethylene pipeline grid and an n-butene stream (4), to subject the ethylene stream (3) and the n-butene stream (4) to a metathesis reaction to obtain a propylene stream (5), and to provide the propylene stream (5) to the propylene pipeline grid, and v) a propylene conversion facility configured to receive a propylene stream (6) from the propylene pipeline grid, and to produce the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s).

12. The apparatus according to the preceding claim, wherein except for the ethylene pipeline grid (101), there being no interconnection between the ethanol dehydration plant (105) and the olefin conversion unit (104).

13. A computer-implemented method for attributing at least one environmental attribute to one or more propylenederived chemical (s), wherein the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) are produced in a chemical production network comprising the apparatus defined in any of claims 11 or 12, and wherein the at least one environmental attribute is associated with a material stream selected from the group consisting of the renewable ethanol stream (1), the ethylene stream (2), the ethylene stream (3), the propylene stream (5) and the propylene stream (6), the method comprising:• Providing or having provided material data associated with the material stream to an operating system of the chemical production network,• determining environmental attributes associated with the material stream via a virtual production process,• allocating or having allocated the environmental attributes associated with the material stream to a virtual balancing account, wherein the virtual balancing account includes at least one attribution rule for attributing the environmental attributes associated with the material stream to a propylene-derived chemical,• providing or having provided a chemical product identifier associated with the propylene-derived chemical and at least one target environmental attribute,• based on the propylene-derived chemical and the target environmental attribute, selecting or having selected at least one attribution rule,• determining or having determined via the at least one attribution rule at least one account for attributing one or more environmental attribute(s) from the at least one account to the propylene-derived chemical identifier; and• assigning or having assigned or attributing or having attributed the one or more environmental attribute(s) to the propylene-derived chemical identifier.

14. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) is / are produced in accordance with any of claims 1 to 10.

15. An apparatus for attributing at least one environmental attribute to one or more propylene-derived chemical(s), wherein the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s) are produced in a propylene-derived chemical production network comprising the apparatus defined in any of claims 11 or 12, and wherein the at least one environmental attribute is associated with a material stream selected from the group consisting of the renewable ethanol stream (1), the ethylene stream (2), the ethylene stream (3), the propylene stream (5) and the propylene stream (6), the apparatus comprising:• a virtual production module configured to o receive material data associated with the material stream, and o to determine environmental attributes associated with the material stream,• a balancing module configured to provide at least one account for balancing the environmental attributes produced by the virtual production module;• an attribution module configured to provide at least one attribution rule for attributing environmental attributes associated with the material stream to the one or more propylene-derived chemical(s), and• a digital asset provider configured to provide at least one chemical product identifier associated with the propylene-derived chemical and at least one target environmental attribute for the propylene-derived chemical; and an outbound allocator configured to o select based on the chemical product identifier and the target environmental attribute at least one attribution rule, o determine at least one account for assigning or attributing one or more environmental attribute(s) from the account to the digital asset via the at least one attribution rule, and o assigning or attributing the one or more environmental attribute(s) to the digital asset.

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