"Ethane cracker" is a term in English that refers to an industrial facility or plant used to process ethane. This process typically occurs in the petrochemical industry, where ethane is cracked or broken down into various other chemical compounds, such as ethylene.

The facility is known as an "ethane cracker" because the term "cracker" refers to the process of breaking down complex molecules into simpler molecules. In this context, ethane is cracked into ethylene through thermal or catalytic processes.

Ethane cracker plants generally play a crucial role in the petrochemical supply chain because the ethylene produced can be used as a raw material for various other chemical products, including plastics. Therefore, the ethane cracker becomes a key element in the chemical industry that focuses on the processing and utilization of hydrocarbon compounds for industrial purposes.

The way ethane cracker plants work is by taking fossil fuel chemicals, and converting them into tiny pellets shipped globally [1]. One of the main problems of ethane cracker plants is the pollution they create during the manufacturing process.

The process for ethane cracker manufacturing starts with drilling and / or fracking natural gas to separate ethane. Secondly, ethane is then sent to an ethane cracker plant to be heated to very high temperatures. Then, ethylene is formed, which can then be turned to plastic pellets, to be shipped globally [2].

This article is written by :
Reza Radinka
Sales & Marketing staff

References
[1] B. Fells, “What the heck is an ethane cracker?,” What the Heck is an Ethane Cracker? [Online]. Available: https://blog.gltproducts.com/blog/what-is-an-ethane-cracker.html. [Accessed:30-Mar-2023].
[2] “Ethane cracker plants,” Moms Clean Air Force, 02-Jun-2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.momscleanairforce.org/resources/ethane-cracker-plants/. [Accessed: 30-Mar-2023].

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