Naphtha: The unknown G2L™ byproduct in rising demand

Like most other industries, the chemical business is under increasing pressure to adopt more environmentally sustainable solutions. A key component in this transition is a combustible mixture mainly unknown to the public; here’s how G2L™ plant owners can profit from the valuable high-quality product, naphtha.

Establishing a G2L™ plant provides investors and natural reserve owners an open path to lucrative markets where certification, infrastructure, and demand are already in place. 

For instance, a G2L™ operation can be set up to produce high-quality jet fuel, diesel, or both. Regardless of the product mix a G2L™ plant owner chooses, the plant will produce some naphtha, a byproduct of all gas-to-liquids (GTL) operations.

Far from constituting waste, naphtha is a valuable product that’s in rising demand globally. This article discusses the commercial opportunities, applications, and benefits of this lesser-known product.

Commercializing naphtha

Rising demands notwithstanding, not all naphtha is commercialized, as several refiners utilize it in their own operations. Either to decarbonize fuels or as a dilutant of heavy crude oil, an application in which naphtha is exceptionally well-suited. 

Plant owners who choose to sell off their naphtha to chemical industries are looking into a well-established market. Naphtha produced from sustainability-focused GTL facilities is projected to be a key ingredient in the chemical industries green transformation.

To understand why GTL naphtha is in line to claim this position, let’s take a brief look at how the product is utilized in the process of producing plastics.

GTL naphtha is highly paraffinic which makes it an ideal feedstock for naphtha crackers. This petrochemical process produces light hydrocarbons ethylene and propylene, which are key building blocks in the production of plastic and various chemicals.

The benefits of using naphtha from GTL plants are many. In terms of product quality and consistency, the product is well ahead of any competitor in its class: GTL naphtha is 98% paraffinic, and has no aromatics, or sulfur or metallic contaminants. This results in a far lower coking rates of furnace tubes during cracking which prolongs run times.

In addition, GTL naphtha has higher product yields than other naphtha types, which translates directly to higher profits for operation owners. Furthermore, GTL naphtha allows certifying a portion of products as environmentally sustainable if produced from sustainable feedstocks.

Even so, the technologies in and around a G2L™ plant can be combined and tailored to maximize the utilization of renewable energy and captured CO₂ to produce carbon neutral synthetic fuels and green naphtha. The G2L™ eFuels solution opens several commercial opportunities, with a product slate that can be tailored to market needs.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the potential of G2L™ fuels, read more here.

Or you can discover how the single license G2L™ solution offers the field’s only integrated solution with one point of responsibility here.

“Naphtha”

The word naphtha can be traced back to Latin, Ancient Greek, and Persian in different forms often used to refer to petroleum or pitch. Formerly, it was used for “crude oil” in English; this is still the case in several Eastern European languages. In Australia, naphtha is also known as shellite. 

GTL Naphtha as cracker feedstock by the numbers

G2L™

Unlike any other Gas-to-Liquids solution, G2L™ offers a single license to build and operate a fully integrated commercial plant. This model puts you in complete control of the cornerstone in Gas-to-Liquid infrastructure, allowing you to maximize the value output from natural gas, methane-rich gas, biogas, water, and electricity reserves. 

Discover more here Synthetic fuels | Process (topsoe.com)

About Topsoe

Haldor Topsoe is a global leader in supply of catalysts, technology, and services to the chemical and refining industries. Topsoe aims to be the global leader within carbon emission reduction technologies by 2024. By perfecting chemistry for a better world, we enable our customers to succeed in the transition towards renewable energy. Topsoe is headquartered in Denmark and serves customers around the globe.

About Sasol

Sasol is a global integrated chemicals and energy company spanning 30 countries. Sustainability has become a major driver in our business where we advance chemical and energy solutions that contribute to a thriving planet, society, and enterprise. We develop and commercialize technologies and build and operate world-scale facilities to produce a range of high-value product streams, including liquid fuels, chemicals, and low-carbon electricity. We are an entrepreneurial, agile, truly global team that connects our unique technologies with our customers and partners to create value and develop sustainable solution for a better world.