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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon
Feedstocks for Chemical Production
Implications for Catalysis

Proceedings of a Workshop

Joe Alper, Rapporteur

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

Division on Earth and Life Studies

images

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by the American Chemistry Council, The Dow Chemical Company, the National Science Foundation (Contract No. CBET-1524272), SABIC, and the U.S. Department of Energy (Contract No. DE-SC0014060).

This publication was prepared as an account of work sponsored in part by agencies of the U.S. government. Neither the U.S government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to a specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. government or any agency thereof. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-44479-8
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Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/23555

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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Reports document the evidence-based consensus of an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and committee deliberations. Reports are peer reviewed and are approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE

ALEXIS T. BELL (Chair), University of California, Berkeley

MONTY ALGER, Pennsylvania State University

MARIA FLYTZANI-STEPHANOPOULOS, Tufts University

T. BRENT GUNNOE, University of Virginia

JOHANNES A. LERCHER, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

JAMES C. STEVENS, The Dow Chemical Company (retired)

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff

CAMLY TRAN, Associate Program Officer

CLAIRE BALLWEG, Program Coordinator

Consultant

JOE ALPER, Science Writer

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

Co-Chairs

DAVID BEM, PPG Industries

DAVID R. WALT, Tufts University

Members

HÉCTOR D. ABRUÑA, Cornell University

JOEL C. BARRISH, Bristol-Myers Squibb

MARK A. BARTEAU, NAE, University of Michigan

JOAN BRENNECKE, NAE, University of Notre Dame

MICHELLE V. BUCHANAN, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

DAVID W. CHRISTIANSON, University of Pennsylvania

JENNIFER SINCLAIR CURTIS, University of California, Davis

RICHARD EISENBERG, NAS, University of Rochester

SAMUEL H. GELLMAN, NAS, University of Wisconsin–Madison

SHARON C. GLOTZER, NAS, University of Michigan

MIRIAM E. JOHN, Sandia National Laboratories (retired)

FRANCES S. LIGLER, NAE, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University

SANDER G. MILLS, Merck Research Laboratories (retired)

JOSEPH B. POWELL, Shell

PETER J. ROSSKY, NAS, Rice University

TIMOTHY SWAGER, NAS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff

TERESA FRYBERGER, Director

DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN, Senior Program Officer

CAMLY TRAN, Associate Program Officer

CLAIRE BALLWEG, Program Coordinator

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×

Acknowledgments

This Proceedings of a Workshop has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published Proceedings of a Workshop as sound as possible and to ensure that the Proceedings of a Workshop meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this Proceedings of a Workshop:

Jeffery Bricker, Honeywell UOP

Karen Goldberg, University of Washington

Graham Hutchings, Cardiff Catalysis Institute

José Santiesteban, Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Susannah Scott, University of California, Santa Barbara

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the Proceedings of a Workshop before its release. The review of this Proceedings of a Workshop was overseen by Levi Thompson, University of Michigan, who was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this Proceedings of a Workshop was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this Proceedings of a Workshop rests entirely with the rapporteur and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×

Acronyms and Abbreviations

ACC American Chemistry Council
AIChE American Institute of Chemical Engineering
ARPA-E Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
ASU air separation unit
BTU British thermal unit
DOE U.S. Department of Energy
EIA U.S. Energy Information Administration
LLDPE linear low-density polyethylene
ME Middle East
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MTO methane-to-olefin
NGL natural gas liquid
NSF National Science Foundation
PDH propane dehydrogenation
PET polyethylene terephthalate
PHB polyhydroxybutyrate
USGC U.S. Gulf Coast
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
Page R14
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. The Changing Landscape of Hydrocarbon Feedstocks for Chemical Production: Implications for Catalysis: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23555.
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Page R16
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A decade ago, the U.S. chemical industry was in decline. Of the more than 40 chemical manufacturing plants being built worldwide in the mid-2000s with more than $1 billion in capitalization, none were under construction in the United States. Today, as a result of abundant domestic supplies of affordable natural gas and natural gas liquids resulting from the dramatic rise in shale gas production, the U.S. chemical industry has gone from the world's highest-cost producer in 2005 to among the lowest-cost producers today.

The low cost and increased supply of natural gas and natural gas liquids provides an opportunity to discover and develop new catalysts and processes to enable the direct conversion of natural gas and natural gas liquids into value-added chemicals with a lower carbon footprint. The economic implications of developing advanced technologies to utilize and process natural gas and natural gas liquids for chemical production could be significant, as commodity, intermediate, and fine chemicals represent a higher-economic-value use of shale gas compared with its use as a fuel.

To better understand the opportunities for catalysis research in an era of shifting feedstocks for chemical production and to identify the gaps in the current research portfolio, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted an interactive, multidisciplinary workshop in March 2016. The goal of this workshop was to identify advances in catalysis that can enable the United States to fully realize the potential of the shale gas revolution for the U.S. chemical industry and, as a result, to help target the efforts of U.S. researchers and funding agencies on those areas of science and technology development that are most critical to achieving these advances. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

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