The Future of Aromatics 2013

May 31, 2013

Challenges & Opportunities in Aromatics Arena

ACI’s The Future of Aromatics 2013 event will address the key success factors of aromatics and major derivatives businesses.

The volatility in both demand and prices has inevitably affected the aromatics business in recent years. The weak downstream demand is mainly attributable to economic uncertainty around the world. Asia continued to dominate aromatics consumption driven by new derivative production capacities, while a decline in demand was seen in North America and Western Europe.

The complexity in upstream factors provided a challenging environment for aromatics. Benzene supply from pyrolysis gasoline (pygas) is highly dependent on the economics and feedstock type of ethylene production. US pygas supply has been reduced as a result of shale gas exploitation. LPG also gained in popularity as cracker feedstock in Western Europe to mitigate the effect of high crude oil prices. On The reformer side demand for transportation fuels continues to be effected by high crude oil prices, biofuels, renewables and electric vehicles. Nevertheless most aromatics players are forward integrated to para-xylene production continued to approach their maximum capacities, following high margins for para-xylene, driven by the strong demand from the fibre and packaging sectors.

Key Topics

  • High and Volatile Crude Oil Prices Will Continue to Add Business Uncertainty to the Petroleum Industry
  • The Impact of Petrochemical Feedstock Development in Different part of the World Conveys Differing Prospects for Aromatics Markets
  • Asia Will Continue to Dominate Global Benzene Consumption, where most of the Derivative Plants Will Be Built
  • Shrinking Gasoline Market and Regulatory Tendencies
  • Asia Is the Real Growth Driver of Para-Xylene Demand, Accounting for Roughly 80% of the Global Total
  • PET Recycling Is Having a Pronounced Effect on Para-Xylene Market
  • Use of Technologies, which Convert Other Aromatics to Para-Xylene
  • What Will Be the Major Consumer of Toluene in the Next Decade
  • Will Capacity Rationalisation Continue in North America and Western Europe

The event will provide in depth analyses on the dynamics of various supply sources of aromatics as steam cracker, reformer, coal and on-purpose units. The impact of petrochemical feedstock development in different part of the world conveys differing prospects for aromatic markets. Demand drivers through major derivatives are examined in detail to provide an understanding of the demand outlook for benzene and para-xylene.

If you are looking for a comprehensive progress update on the global aromatics industry including a ten year market demand & growth outlook and the latest technology advancements look no further than ACI`s The Future of Aromatics 2013.