Ethylene is the essential building block to make resins and plastics. Approximately 200 million tons are produced annually, and its worldwide production exceeds any other organic compound. 

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The conventional method of producing ethylene is steam cracking of ethane in a chemical plant by using extreme temperatures and pressures. This requires a large energy input and releasing substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Mechanical Engineering professors Fanglin (Frank) Chen and Kevin Huang are in the early stages of research to develop an alternative, efficient and environmentally benign ethylene with negative carbon dioxide emissions.

&#;Ethylene is the most important chemical in the petrochemical industry. The conventional process to produce ethylene is energy intensive and a heavy emitter of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Consequently, alternative conversion technologies are critically needed for efficiency improvements in chemical manufacturing while combating the global warming,&#; Chen says. 

This past June, Chen received a three-year, $2 million grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy&#;s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), under the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). Their mission is to investigate new manufacturing technologies, including chemical manufacturing due to its significant energy usage and emissions.

Ethylene has historically been made from petroleum, but the production has been transitioning to using natural gas. The principal method of producing ethylene is steam cracking, a process which breaks down hydrocarbons through the refining of petroleum or natural gas. 

&#;The steam is produced and fed by natural gas. The cracking process takes place at 800 to 900 degrees Celsius,&#; Chen says. &#;The process is expensive because at that high temperature you have steam in a harsh environment, and the reactors must hold that temperature.&#;

According to Chen, the process produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide because as water is generated into steam, a significant amount of natural gas is burned. The energy intensive process consumes high rates of energy and produces a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions. 

Chen&#;s research aims to develop an unprecedented carbon dioxide-natural gas refinery technology, enabling an electrochemical conversion of low-cost natural gas into valuable ethylene with co-production of carbon monoxide through a simultaneous conversion of carbon dioxide. The technology is built upon a unique symmetric metal-supported solid oxide cell technology, which may forge a new process-intensified path towards an efficient, low-emission and modular chemical manufacturing process. Using renewable electricity to integrate low-cost natural gas and carbon dioxide while converting methane to valuable chemicals will revolutionize the chemical manufacturing industry. 

The biggest difference compared to the traditional method is how the University of South Carolina team plans to have two reactions instead of one. As in the traditional method, one reaction will convert natural gas to ethylene. But the second reaction will remove one oxide ion from carbon dioxide to create carbon monoxide, an important chemical used to manufacture numerous organic and inorganic chemical products, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, steel and metals. 

The oxide ion removed from carbon dioxide will be used in the natural gas reaction to break the carbon-hydrogen bond and combine with hydrogen to make water. As a result, the carbon atoms simply connect to generate ethylene.  

&#;Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, but we can use it to create a useful chemical in carbon monoxide. Natural gases are valuable chemicals but not as important compared to ethylene,&#; Chen says. &#;We can convert natural gas to ethylene, and carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide to make value-added chemicals.&#;

Chen aims to keep the reaction temperature to around 650 degrees Celsius, which is cooler than the traditional method. A lower temperature leads to less maintenance and heat released into the environment to save energy. 

&#;The endothermic reaction of using carbon dioxide to produce carbon monoxide will absorb heat from the other reaction that converts natural gas to produce ethylene. Since heat is produced from one side and absorbed and utilized from the other side, it&#;s balanced, and the process is efficient and less damaging to the environment,&#; Chen says.  

The team will initially use a smaller reactor for process optimization, but the process is capable of scaling up to create a larger reactor for more ethylene production. 

&#;The conventional process typically operates as a large chemical plant. It needs a big vessel because the process cannot be optimized with a smaller one,&#; Chen says. &#;Our process is better because regardless of the size, it&#;s the same efficiency. There are no limitations compared to the conventional process; it does not need a high pressure, and it&#;s more flexible.&#;

Chen is excited to tackle these challenging issues and believes the new process will help the chemical industry cut emissions and enter a new era of sustainable manufacturing. &#;The chemicals industry is the largest consumer of energy and major carbon emitter nationally. There is abundant supply of domestic natural gas which will fuel the return of the chemical industry to the U.S. The low cost of renewable electricity in the U.S. provides impetus for process electrification. The electrochemical method, if successful, will revolutionize the chemical manufacturing industry.&#;  

Ethylene - C2H4

What is Ethylene?

Ethylene is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula C2H4. It has one double bond and is the simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons.

C2H4 is the simplest alkene with the chemical name Ethylene. It is also called Ethene or Polyethylene or Etileno. It is widely used as a plant hormone, as a refrigerant, and as a food additive.

Ethylene is a colourless gas which has a sweet odour and taste. It is flammable and lighter when compared to air. When exposed to heat or fire for a long duration, the containers can explode.

Table of Content

Ethylene structure &#; C2H4

Properties of Ethylene &#; C2H4

C2H4 Ethylene Molecular weight of C2H4 28.054 g/mol Density of Ethylene 1.178 kg/m3 Boiling point of Ethylene &#;103.7 °C Melting point of Ethylene &#;169.2 °C

Production of Ethylene

During the year Etileno was produced by approximately 117 companies from 32 countries.

Petrochemical industry &#; A predominant method of producing ethylene is steam cracking. Hydrocarbons along with steam are heated to a temperature range of 750&#;950 °C. It converts large hydrocarbons into smaller hydrocarbons and initiates unsaturation. When feedstock is ethane then the product is ethylene. Polyethylene is separated from the obtained mixture by repetitive compression and the process of distillation. Other methods to produce ethylene include, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, catalytic dehydrogenation, oxidative coupling of methane, and methanol-to-olefins (MTO).

Laboratory method &#; It is rarely prepared in the laboratories and is usually purchased. It can be synthesised by dehydrating ethanol with H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) or with aluminium oxide in the gas phase.

\(\begin{array}{l} CH_{3}-CH_{2}-OH \overset{Al_{2}O_{3}}{\rightarrow} CH_{2}=CH_{2} + H_{2}O\end{array} \)

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Chemical Properties of Ethylene:

(a) Combustion (oxidation with air):

Ethene burns in air or oxygen upon heating to form CO2 and H2O. The combustion reactions are highly exothermic in nature.

C2H4  +  3O2  &#; 2CO2  +  2H2O

(b) Polymerization Reactions of ethylene:

Polymerization of ethene leads to polythenes which are of two types:

Low density polyethylene: It is prepared by heating ethene to 463-483 K under the pressure of about atm. in the presence of traces of oxygen. 

n[CH2=CH2]  &#; [&#;CH2&#;CH2&#;]n

Low density polyethylene is chemically inert, tough and a poor conductor of electricity.

High density polyethylene: It is prepared by the polymerisation of ethene at about 333-343 K under the pressure of 6-7 atm. in a catalyst such as the Ziegler Natta catalyst. This polymer is also inert chemically but is quite tough and hard.

Uses of Ethylene- C2H4

• Ethylene is used in the manufacturing of alcohol.
• Used in the manufacturing of polyethylene.
• Used in promoting senescence.
• Used to produce fabricated plastics.
• Used as a herbicide.
• Used as a curing agent for tobacco.
• Used as a refrigerant.
• Used as an anaesthetic.
• Used to accelerate the ripening of fruits commercially.
• Used in welding metals.

Health Hazards of Ethylene

Average concentration in air can cause drowsiness, unconsciousness, and dizziness. Overexposure may lead to headaches, muscular weakness, and drowsiness. Also, the vapours of this compound can cause asphyxiation. When ethylene is touched in its liquid form, it causes burns, and severe injury. On heating, the fire liberates irritating and toxic gases.

Frequently Asked Questions-FAQs

Q1

1. Who discovered ethylene?

A Russian scientist named Dimitry Neljubow demonstrated in , that the active component was ethylene. Doubt discovered that in ethylene spurred abscission. Not until did Gane announce that plants synthesise ethylene.

Q2

2. How is ethylene produced?

Ethylene is commercially developed by the steam cracking of a wide range of hydrocarbon feedstocks. Processes of olefin cracking and interconversion are being built to improve the efficiency of light olefins. They will usually transform C4-C8 olefins and light gasoline pyrolysis into ethylene and propylene.

Q3

3. Is ethylene heavier than air?

Ethylene has the appearance of a colourless gas with a light smell and taste. It is lighter than the atmosphere.

Q4

4. Is ethylene polar or nonpolar?

Ethylene is a substance of a nonpolar nature. This is because they have an equal distribution of electrical charges, unlike a polar molecule.

Q5

5. What are the functions of ethylene?

In plants, ethylene acts as a hormone. It functions at trace rates during the plant&#;s life by stimulating or controlling fruit maturation, flower opening and leaves abscission (or shedding).

2H4 from the experts at BYJU&#;S.

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