Is it profitable to produce gasoline via the Fertö process?
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I’m not in the field of coal chemical engineering; I’ve read two articles recently and have some questions, so I’m seeking advice on the forum. I once read an article titled “The Story of Saso.” The author said that producing gasoline at Saso was not profitable; in fact, it resulted in losses. In the initial stages, the company managed to survive only thanks to subsidies. Later, as the industrial chain expanded and a variety of high-value chemical products were produced, the company was able to turn a profit. The author described Saso as a typical example of a company where the chemical industry supports its oil refining operations. It seems the same is true for refining and chemical enterprises; simply producing gas, coal, and firewood isn’t profitable (I’m not sure about the exact details, but that’s what I’ve heard), as profits can only be made through chemical products. Recently, I read an article on the use of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to produce high-octane gasoline, and it raised a question in my mind: since producing gasoline is not profitable, could Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plants, in order to maximize profits, stop producing gasoline and instead focus on manufacturing basic chemical raw materials or chemicals with higher added value?
To develop integrated refining and petrochemical operations, domestic companies such as Hengli and Zhejiang Petrochemical are building new integrated refining plants.
It’s likely difficult to make a profit by only producing basic chemical raw materials; it’s better to find ways to produce chemical products with high added value.
During the initial processing of oil, gasoline, diesel, and coal are obtained. If the gasoline components are to be converted into chemical raw materials or high-value chemical products, several additional processing steps are required; overall, this may not be profitable, which means that these gasoline and diesel components are not necessarily suitable for use in producing chemical products. But coal chemical industry is different; gas production is inevitable once FTO is used. So FTO and refining seem different; if the technology is feasible, it’s not necessarily necessary to produce oil from coal from an economic perspective – it would be better to produce high-value-added products selectively.
MTO stands for methanol to ethylene, but the process doesn’t stop at ethylene; olefin polymerization follows thereafter. Could products with strong profitability be developed? Between MTO and the cracking of hydrocarbons to produce ethylene, it’s not clear which method will have lower costs.
But if methanol isn’t purchased externally, wouldn’t one still need to have a gasification and methanol plant? Even without polymerization, pure MTO can certainly be profitable, but I think it might not be as profitable as hydrocarbon cracking, especially when oil prices are low.
There is probably no pure MTO; in other words, no ethylene monomer is sold, only the polymerized products. Ethylene monomer cannot be sold.