The Catalyst Review July 2019 - 1

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Primed for Success: The Story of Scientific Design Company
by Peter H. Spitz; Springer, 2019
$119.99 Print, $64.99 eBook
Peter Spitz has been intimately involved in the chemical industry since about 1950. During his
career, he has written several books on the petrochemical industry. A few years ago, he was the
keynote speaker at the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) in Dubai. That talk,
which included a description of the development of the petrochemical industry and of the role
played by Scientific Design (SD), motivated him to write Primed for Success.
The book starts with a history of the global chemical industry, beginning with the first World War,
the Depression, and the years leading up to the second World War. Mr. Spitz then details how
Europe, and primarily Germany, was involved in organic chemicals production based on coal, wood
and alcohol. At that time, the U.S. was producing inorganic chemicals. The author moves on to a
description of the development of chemical engineering practices, and to the role of MIT and other
engineering institutions in furnishing consulting services to the major US companies.
The point is made that research in processes to produce fuels and chemicals helped the Allies to win WWII. In the US, petroleum
fractions and natural gas liquids began to be used to produce high octane aviation gasoline and synthetic rubber, among other
products. Esso's long-term relationship with the German chemical cartels gave them access to German research. The author also
describes the massive effort expended by the US government to accelerate the construction of production facilities for producing
materials urgently needed for the war effort.
The book later introduces the three founders of SD and how much of their early work made use of the knowledge gained from
studying information about German chemical plants, which had been transferred to the Allies at the end of the war. In the beginning,
SD focused on two targets: 1) the improvement of their technology to produce terephthalic acid, and 2) the development of their
technology for production of ethylene oxide from ethylene by direct oxidation. The latter effort was based on German technology
as well as expired patents of Union Carbide, the only practitioner of the direct oxidation route at that time. As wartime plants for
synthetic rubber and other related facilities were auctioned off to US companies, and with current petrochemical producers not
willing to license their technology, an excellent opportunity for SD (and UOP) was created to research, design and license plants that
avoided existing patents. SD also benefitted from the demand for smaller process plants in Europe and later in Japan, where wardamaged industries were being rebuilt.
SD's first large commercial success was the development of process technology to produce terephthalic acid from p-xylene. This
is a fascinating story which started with the British development of a polyester based on an aromatic (terephthalic acid) and with
ethylene glycol. After a multi-year effort in the early 1950s, SD was successful in patenting a process, named the Mid-Century
process, and in selling it to Amoco. The first Amoco plant was starting up in 1958, but the first startup was slightly earlier in Japan, as
SD had retained the right to license the technology abroad.
Three other major petrochemical processes were developed and commercialized by SD. One of these turned out to be the largest
financial success - the co-product process for the direct epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide.
The founders had decided early on that moving into manufacturing with a breakthrough technology would broaden the company's
long-term prospects. In anticipation of such an eventuality, a new organization, called Halcon International, was formed in the mid1960s to act as a holding company, with SD as the engineering subsidiary, along with the catalyst business and the future production
company. When the success of the propylene oxide technology was achieved, it was decided to commercialize it as a joint venture
between Halcon and Arco Chemical. The new production company was called Oxirane. The first Oxirane plant was built in Bayport,
TX, to produce propylene oxide and co-product t-butyl alcohol.
Oxirane's success encouraged the partners to consider diversifying by investing in another Halcon development, a process for the
direct production of ethylene glycol by acetoxylation of ethylene. This process avoided the intermediate production of ethylene
oxide. However, this ill-fated step ultimately resulted in the shutdown of Halcon and the buyout of Oxirane by Arco. The aftermath
of the shutdown of the acetoxylation plant through to the shutdown of Halcon in 1987 is described as well as a collaboration of
Halcon and Tennessee Eastman on technology used in a large plant for producing acetic anhydride in Kingsport, TN. During the
last years, efforts were made to collaborate with an EO licensee in Brazil and to perform several studies and projects with the US
government.
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The Catalyst Review July 2019

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