GS CALTEX BUSINESS — CHAPTER 03
Using diverse feedstock including naphtha, LPG and refinery off-gas
to produce 900,000 tons of ethylene a year.
GS Caltex produces basic petrochemical products like ethylene and propylene through MFC (Mixed Feed Cracker), which can use a wide range of feedstocks — not just naphtha, but also LPG and refinery off-gas. By flexibly drawing on diverse feedstocks, we strengthen feedstock competitiveness and build synergy between refining and petrochemicals.
ORIGIN
The name olefin comes from the observation that ethylene reacts with chlorine to form an oily liquid.
Today, olefin refers to a hydrocarbon with a carbon-carbon double bond (C=C), with ethylene and propylene as its leading examples. Their high reactivity makes them a foundational feedstock for a wide range of chemical products and plastic materials.
01 — MIXED FEED
MFC can use liquid naphtha along with LPG and refinery off-gas as feedstock. This gives us more flexibility in feedstock selection and, through its link to the refining process, greater feedstock competitiveness.
01 — CRACKING
Hydrocarbons such as naphtha and LPG are thermally cracked at high temperature into smaller molecules. Quenching, compression and separation follow, yielding ethylene, propylene and other basic petrochemical products.
01 — OLEFINS
Ethylene and propylene are the leading olefins, each carrying a carbon double bond (C=C). Their high reactivity makes them the foundational feedstock for polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and many other petrochemical products.
02 — OUTPUT
Used as a basic feedstock for a wide range of petrochemical products, including polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), PVC and EVA.
Used as feedstock for polypropylene (PP), compound resin, propylene oxide (PO) and acrylonitrile (AN).
Used to produce butadiene, the feedstock for synthetic rubber, ABS, nylon and other materials.
Used as feedstock for producing aromatics such as benzene, toluene and xylene.
03 — FEED
04 — MFC · COMPETITIVENESS
GS Caltex invested approximately ₩2.7 trillion to build MFC at the Yeosu complex, completed in November 2022.
MFC secured an annual ethylene capacity of 900,000 tons and, by linking refining and petrochemical processes, broadened both feedstock use and the business portfolio.
Ethylene and propylene made at MFC go through polymerization and other processes to become polyethylene and polypropylene and other polymers. The next chapter follows olefins into the polymer business, which leads on to automotive parts, appliances, packaging and countless other everyday and industrial materials.