The second most-produced organic chemical in the world, propene is a key component of plastics found in consumer goods such as electronics, clothing and food packaging.

For years, oil refineries have produced an abundance of the compound through the “steam cracking” process that converts oil-derived naptha into useful components. In the last decade, however, many U.S. refineries have instead moved toward shale gas cracking as domestic shale gas production has soared. As a result, the supply of propene has decreased, leaving a market opportunity for alternate methods of propene production.