Trial operations have begun at the world's largest propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Tarragona, Spain.

The plant's operators, BASF Sonatrach PropanChem, claim a capacity of 350,000 tonnes of propylene a year, and it is the first in Europe to use UOP LLC's Oleflex technology.

By using a proprietary platinum catalyst in the process, promoting the dehydrogenation at around 40 per cent conversion per pass, major advances in efficency and economy can be made.

BASF Espanola is organising the trial and managing director Erwin Rauhe is confident the new plant will produce savings:

'Normally, BASF produces ethylene and propylene by steam cracking naptha. However, because only propylene is needed at the Tarragona site, it is more economical to use the propane dehydrogenation process.'

The result is an extremely cost effective operation that Mr Rauhe says maximises the efficiency of the whole process.