Our Aromatics Plant at Rotterdam is one of the few plants that can produce the entire range of aromatic hydrocarbons. These products are destined not only to the Western European market, but also to Eastern Europe, The Middle East and the Far East.

The plant was established in 1965 next to the Esso Refinery in Rotterdam Botlek and is one of the largest aromatics plant in the world.

What We Do

Hydrogenation, distillation, osomerization, extraction, crystallisation and adsorption are used in the various production processes.

The majority of the benzene production is obtained from steam-cracked naphta (SCN), a mixture of benzene and primarily lighter hydrocarbons, a by-product of the ethylene production. This raw material is hydrogenated to convert the contaminants, which consist primarily of unsaturated hydrocarbons and sulphur compounds. This production step is followed by extraction and distillation to obtain a pure product.

By-products are returned to the refinery and used in fuels production. Another important source of aromatics is reformate supplied by the Esso refineries in Europe. It contains benzene, toluene, xylenes and non-aromatics.

These reformates and the benzene concentrate from the SCN unit are subjected to an extraction process. The resulting aromatic extracts, consisting of benzene, toluene and xylenes, are then separated in the production fractionation unit into pure benzene, toluene, orthoxylene and a mixture of xylenes consisting of paraxylene, metaxylen and ethyl benzene.

Pure paraxylene is obtained via crystallisation or selective adsorption/desorption. Metaxylene and ethyl benzene are transformed to paraxylene/orthoxylene and recycled in the process.

Product Application

• Benzene has a wide range of applications. It is the raw material for cyclohexane (which is ultimately processed - like toluene - into nylon, synthetic fibres and resins) and styrene. It then ultimately finds its way, via expanded polystyrene, into packaging an insulation materials. It is also processed into products such as electrical kitchen equipment, construction materials, car components, leisure items, such as sports shoes and tennis rackets.
• Paraxylene is converted into polyethylene terephthalate (PET), used in the production of soft drinks bottles.
• Orthoxylene is a raw material for phthalic anhydride (PAN), used in the production of plasticizers. Markets for plasticizers include cables, floor coverings and wallpaper.

Nice to Know

The Rotterdam Aromatics Plant has an excellent safety reputation - in 2001 its employees completed 29 years of working safely.

Fact Sheet