C2H4 gas (ethylene) as the world’s largest chemical raw material production (over 200 million tons annual capacity), the main application is the production of polyethylene (PE) with more than 60% of global ethylene consumption. Using the high-pressure polymerization process (100-300 MPa, 150-300℃), ethylene one-way conversion rate of 99%, can be manufactured as a density range of 0.915-0.970 g/cm³ LDPE, 2023 global PE market size of 126 billion US dollars. Unipol gas phase process has a capacity efficiency of up to 45 tons/hour (reactor volume 150m)
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The single-line investment cost is 500 million, 18% lower than the traditional tube method. According to IHS Markit data, 1.02 tons of ethylene are required for a ton of polyethylene, and raw material price fluctuations (such as ethane cracking to ethylene cost $200-300/ton) impact PE profitability margins (15% industry average).
In the production of crops, C2H4 gas (ethylene) as a ripening inducement agent may cut down on the banana, tomato, and other vegetable and fruit ripening time by 30%-50%. Figures released by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs indicate that in 2022, the application of ethephon (ethylene release agent) in China was 87,000 tons, and the enhancement of ripening efficiency lowered the postpartum loss rate of fruits and vegetables from 25% to 12%, and the economic benefit per year rose by ¥32 billion. But strict control of the concentration (0.1-1.0 ppm) is required, excessive application will cause excessive softening of the fruit (hardness <3 kg/cm²), EU REACH regulation requires that the residual ethylene limit ≤0.05 mg/kg, in 2021, a local enterprise was returned to 120,000 tons of export mango because of exceeding the standard.
Medical sterilization is a newly developed application trend, and 58% of the medical device sterilization market globally comes from ethylene oxide (EO) obtained from c2h4 gas (ethylene). Under the 4-12 hours sterilization cycle (concentration of 400-1200 mg/L, 40-80% humidity), microorganisms including spores could be killed (bactericidal rate >99.9999%). Us FDA data shows that in 2023 the global EO sterilization equipment market size of 2.3 billion, costing 0.5-2.0/piece per treatment, but must be equipped with catalytic combustion system (efficiency ≥99%) exhaust gas treatment, equipment investment approximately $8 million/set. OSHA suggests an exposure concentration of EO in the workplace (an average of 8 hours ≤1 ppm), which is higher if exceeded can lead to 3.7-fold elevated cancer risk.
Pioneering applications in the conversion of energy are ethylene cracking in the production of hydrogen through steam cracking (ethane feed) at 950 ° C, which simultaneously produces 120 kg of hydrogen (99.9% purity) per ton of C2H4 gas at a 62% cheaper cost of hydrogen production compared to electrolytic water (1.5/kgvs.4.0/kg). Saudi Aramco’s “ethylene – hydrogen co-production Project” that started in 2024 with an investment of $1.8 billion, will have the capacity to produce 54,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, and accompanies an amine absorption tower with a carbon capture efficiency of ≥90% (energy consumption 1.8GJ/ton CO₂). In addition, ethylene fuel cells have an energy density of 1.2 kWh/kg (0.25 kWh/kg for lithium-ion batteries), but the platinum load as a catalyst has to be reduced from 0.3 mg/cm² to 0.1 mg/cm² to maintain costs within reasonable limits.
The second basic case is the production of chemical intermediates: oxidation of C2H4 gas (ethylene) to ethylene oxide (8-10% yield), hydrolyzed to ethylene glycol (MEG), and on which 65% of the world’s polyester fiber depends. Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical employs SD process technology (silver catalyst selectivity >82%), 300,000 tons/year one unit capacity, 0.8 tons ethylene consumption per ton MEG, and 35% contribution to the cost of production of steam. Styrene monomer (SM) production through dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (60-70% conversion efficiency), 0.97 tons of ethylene are needed for every ton of SM, 2023 Asian SM price fluctuation range of $1,000-1,400/ton, difference in naphtha cracking price has significant influence on processing profit.
These statistics indicate that C2H4 gas (ethylene) remains a leading force behind global industrial growth through diversified uses, but it must balance technological innovation, cost containment and safety and environmental protection needs to respond to the double challenge of energy transition and regulatory upgrading.