THE SUCCESS STORY OF SABOX® TECHNOLOGY (SABIC’S ACETIC ACID)Dr. Abdullah Al-Dughaither

Senior Manager, Functional Chemicals Technology Management, SABIC

No. 1

SABIC TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION NETWORK

Research CentersApplication CentersSABIC Plastic Application Center at KSU, RiyadSABIC Corporate Research & Innovation Center at KAUST

Geleen

Bangalore

VDD

Houston

Riyadh

Jubail

Shanghai

USA ACCartagen

a

BoZ

Moka

Thuwal

No. 2

1989

First Sabic R&D in Riyadh

1996

Sabic Technology Center Houston

1999

Demonstration of Sabcat-1 at PK

2005

Start-up of 1st

Acetic Acid Plant

2006

Start-up of 1st

LAO Plant

Start up with technology

licensing-in and JV’s Maintain and improve

Licensed technology

Develop and Innovate

new technologies

Started with less

than 10

scientists

• 2000 scientists and

Research staff distributed

over 5 key geographies

with innovation hubs

•Developed 10 new

technologies

• Developed 150 + new

products yearly

• 10,960 global patents.

2025

Global

Solution

Provider

Global Solution

Provider

SABIC JOURNEY TOWARDS INNOVATION

2007

GE Plastics

Acquisition

2017

21 Centers

Globally

SABOX®

SABIC ACETIC ACID TECHNOLOGY

No. 4

ConstructionAutomobilePaperPackagingTextiles

FiberPhotoPaintsPharmaceutical

FiberFilmBottle resinPackaging

PharmaceuticalDetergentCosmeticsAgriculture

Vinyl Acetate

Acetic Anhydride

PTA

Acetates and

Other

ACETIC

ACID

Vinyl Acetate

Monomer32%

Acetic Anhydride

13%PTA18%

Acetate Esters15%

Others22%

ACETIC ACID – PRODUCTS AND APPLICATIONS

No. 5

Butane /

Naphtha

Methanol

Carbonylation

Acetaldehyde Ethylene Ethane

COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES OF ACETIC ACID

High

capital

intensive

Non-

Selective

Alkane

Oxidation

Major player in the

acetic acid production.

Capital is highly

intensive due to high

metallurgy

One step

production.

Very small/

negligible

contribution

margin

One step

production.

Converting

lower alkane

to high value

product

No. 6

BASIC CHEMISTRY

Ethane is oxidized with pure oxygen (i.e., ethane rich) at temperature ranging

from 150°C to 450°C and at pressures ranging from 1 to 50 bar, to form acetic

acid according to the following stoichiometry :

The new SABIC catalyst system, helps to reduce the formation of undesired by-

products while providing both high selectivity and high yield of acetic acid.

C2H6 + 1.5 O2 CH3COOH + H2O

No. 7

ACETIC ACID CATALYST DEVELOPMENT

Exploratory 1st Generation 2nd Generation

1995 1997 1999

No. 8

j

jj

pp

j

jijiiii

rH

TTcut

Tc

rcDcut

c

divdiv

divdiv

1998 – Mathematical

Model

2005 – Commercial Plant

1999 – Pilot Plant

1997 – Catalyst

Development

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

1995 – Screening

240

245

250

255

260

265

270

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Reactro length, m

Te

mp

. C

No. 9

SABOXR CONCEPTUAL ILLUSTRATION

Reactants fed at the

catalyst tube entrance

Reactants fed

through central

tube

Reactor Schematic for Optimized Distribution/Delayed

Addition of Reactants

Catalyst Tube

Central

(Distribution) Tube

Pressure drop

elementsFlow distribution

holes

Catalyst

particles

CONFIDENTIAL

No. 10

Conventional Reactor SABOXR

Conventional SABOXR

Productivity 1 1.6

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE

240

245

250

255

260

265

270

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Reactro length, m

Te

mp

. C

240

245

250

255

260

265

270

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Reactor length , m

Te

mp

. C

Reactor Length

Tem

pera

ture

Reactor Length

CONFIDENTIAL

No. 11

HC + O2

Product

BFW

HPS

Conventional Reactor

O2

Product

BFW

HPS

HC

SABOXR

More Productivity

Smaller Reactor

ADVANTAGES

Better Temperature Control

CONFIDENTIAL

No. 12

TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION

SABOX technology demonstrated with a capacity of 34,000 MT of acetic acid at Ibn Rushd,

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia – May 2005

No. 13

TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION

No. 14

SABOX®

Selective to Acetic

Acid

One Step Process

No CO formation

Low Capital

Cost

Long Catalyst

Life

Tight Intellectual Protection

(118 patents)

License on offer

TECHNOLOGY FEATURES

No. 15

• SABIC Established Successfully the first Grass-Root Technology for

Acetic Acid

• SABIC Demonstrated Successfully Ability to Develop Technology

from Concept to Commercialization.

• SABIC Know-How and Infrastructure are Ready to Accommodate

Further Technology Development

THE LEARNING CURVE

No. 16

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