“There has been a high demand for this product on global markets. Europe is currently seeing a deficit in DCPD production capacities. We expect the demand to grow by another 20 per cent by 2030. On the American markets, the demand may rise by 40 per cent, and in Asia, even by 60 per cent. That is why we have decided to invest in constructing our DCPD manufacturing technology. It is another example of how our R&D supports the business,” explains Tomáš Herink, Member of the Board of Directors of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group. He adds: “This product launch will contribute to our margin increase and will help expand the product portfolio in the petrochemical segment.”
Liquid hydrocarbon dicyclopentadiene will be produced using a technology developed by ORLEN Unipetrol researchers in cooperation with the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. The product can be broadly used in the automotive industry, construction industry, electrical engineering, medicine and pharmaceutical industry. It will be used to produce polymer materials, resins, and chemical specialities that can be used to produce adhesives, dyes, automotive and ship components, optical fibres, special lenses, medical components, packaging materials or sanitary products for kitchens and bathrooms, etc.
The technological process of DCPD isolation from the light pyrolysis petrol has been developed within a long-term strategic project using steam cracker’s secondary products. “The project aimed to find a method of isolating hydrocarbons that are secondary products in the petrochemistry units, have a higher added value and can find an application in the market. DCPD is one of the examples. Together with the team of Professor Josef Pašek of the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, we designed a suitable production method and prepared a technology for DCPD’s isolation with a broad range of commercial quality. The installed capacity will be about 25 per cent of the total production in Europe,” concludes Tomáš Herink.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it belongs among the critical players in the Czech and Central European markets. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo, with its Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes a network of Benzina ORLEN filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 421 filling stations, Benzina ORLEN is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Since its entry in 2019 to Slovakia, Benzina ORLEN has been one of the fastest-growing chains and currently has 20 stations in its network. ORLEN Unipetrol employs more than 4,800 people. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became a member of the ORLEN Group, the largest crude oil processor in Central Europe. In addition to its business development, ORLEN Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives, focusing on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment.