Development of technical knowhow can prepare the ground for new changes and reforms with a view to improving existing savvy and subsequently developing new products. This issue takes up added significance particularly with regards to upgrading existing units technically, and supply of new products.
Another significant point which must be taken into consideration is that improving the quality of products or reducing production costs would generate more value-added and bring about a bigger market share. Therefore, in order to acquire a bigger market share and generate value-added, diversification of products and development of products of higher quality and lower costs should top the agenda of every company in rivalry with others.
As it was mentioned earlier, the pace of changes is in a way that higher-quality production with bigger margins is monopolized by the proprietors of technical knowhow.
Therefore, in Iran, there is no option but to acquire technical knowhow and become familiarize with production procedures.
PRTC is serving as the main arm of NPC and other manufacturing companies.
Diversity in Production Portfolio
Mohammadi touched on the future plans of Iran's petrochemical industry, saying: "We need to upgrade the level of production and revenue generation in the petrochemical industry, and this will depend on acquiring new technologies and attracting fresh investment."
"We should also make efforts and be careful so that the industry would shift to mass production of diverse products," he said.
"Given the diversity of feedstock in the country, petrochemical production must be also diversified because diversity in production would contribute to the stability of petrochemical companies and therefore we have to distance ourselves from concentration on the extra production of some products," he added.
"PRTC is a subsidiary of NPC. It can help us supply the bulk of our industrial needs. This company has already started its work, but I will try my best for the maturity of objectives that have so far been achieved so that the achievements of this company would be transmitted to the industry," said Mohammadi.
"Many research agreements have been signed and we have to create conditions in which PRTC would be able to meet its research needs," he said.
Commercializing Research
Mohammadi also laid emphasis on strengthening the procedure of commercialization of PRTC activities.
He said that connection between industry and PRTC has never been as significant as today.
He stressed the need for PRTC's more active role, saying: "Should we fail to convince the industry to rely on PRTC's technical and research potential, all efforts and valuable achievements of this sector will remain fruitless."
"Meantime, the petrochemical industry will be able to give assurances about the commitment and knowledge of this company and gradually reduce dependence on foreign knowhow particularly under the current circumstances in order to become active and prosperous in various sectors," said Mohammadi.
He said the ultimate objective was to fully benefit from PRTC's potentialities and achievements in the industrial sector.
"I believe that widespread actions must be taken as quickly as possible for the commercialization of current activities of this center. Of course, certain measures have been taken in this regard, leading to the signature of agreements. However, there is still room for planning until we can reach the point of maturity in the commercialization of technical knowhow," he added.
Removal of Obstacles
Mohammadi said removal of obstacles and challenges in the way of ongoing projects was a major policy of NPC.
"A major policy pursued by NPC is to support ongoing projects and help overcome obstacles and challenges in the way of these projects," he added.
Due to its feedstock advantage and petrochemical plants, as well as suitable access to foreign markets, Iran has long been the destination of various foreign licenses for the construction of polyolefin plants.
In line with the slogan of self-sufficiency in Iran's petrochemical industry and with a view to providing necessary license for ongoing petrochemical projects, PRTC has relied on research work in polyolefin processes and catalysts to launch the first semi-industrial unit for the production of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Iranian researchers then fully mastered technology for slurry HDPE process.
Further efforts by PRTC experts and researchers have led to the development of multi-modal process (MMP)-HDPE process on semi-industrial scale.
Bushehr Petrochemical Company has chosen to apply MMP-HDPE, which has been developed by PRTC, as its knowhow of choice for the production of 310,000 tonnes a year of HDPE. Therefore, Iran is now among countries granting HDPE production license.
To that end, PRTC has developed the two catalysts of SACIR 510 and SACIR 511. SACIR 510 can meet 35% of demand for polyolefin catalysts. It enjoys many advantages over foreign-made ones, including a simpler production process, more effective control of the process of polymerization, manufacturing of products of higher value-added and usability in pressured pipes and injection products.
Furthermore, due to the high rate of activity and the suitable density of polymer mass, it facilitates production higher than 10% of nominal capacity in polyolefin units. But SACIR 511 has been specifically developed for MMP-HDPE process and is able to produce multimodal grades.
Iran's petrochemical industry has in recent years embarked on a project for conducting research projects on the production of biodegradable polymer materials, leading to significant results.
PRTC has implemented project for production of polyethylene-based biodegradable materials along with starch and exo-peroxydants and mastered the necessary technology. The final products may be used for different purposes including food packaging, disposable table mats, plastic bags used in shops, etc.
In order to provide various services to downstream petrochemical industry, completion of necessary infrastructure for this industrial sector was high on the agenda, years ago. The infrastructure includes equipment of laboratories, operational workshops and other necessary facilities for development, creation of a management system and a transparent and integrated structure for effective and efficient use of research potentialities, development of joint research projects based on the principles enshrined in the research guideline with domestic and international institutes and the monitoring and updating scientific database, presenting approaches for quantitative and qualitative optimization and increasing the output of production, development of technical knowhow and new catalysts and indigenization of existing technologies.