2013年，仅中国就加工了18吨以上的丙烯。因此，除乙烯外，丙烯是中国化学工业中最重要的石化原料。下游行业生产了基于丙烯的一系列产品。直接应用包括除塑料聚丙烯外，还包括丙烷氧化物，丙烯腈，碳烯，丁醛和丙烯酸。Ceresana的一项研究详细说明了将来将在哪里处理丙烯。
鉴于原油资源有限，丙烯的中国制造商取决于进口。大量的丙烯输出量是作为乙烯在蒸汽饼干中的副产品或炼油厂中的催化破裂而发生的。这两个过程主要使用原油。非原油基丙烯产物的产量将在未来大大增加。为了实现这一目标，将扩大CTO技术（煤到烯烃）的利用（煤炭到烯烃），并通过丙烷脱水生产丙烯。基于这些技术的几个生产地点计划在接下来的几年中开始运营。聚丙烯（PP）将仍然是丙烯的最大销售市场。根据分析，直到2021年，中国对这种塑料的需求将增加超过5％。聚丙烯是通用的包装材料之一。其他应用包括纤维，纺织品，车辆零件，电气设备和家庭用品。预计在未来八年内，中国丙烯在碳烯生产中的需求预计将以两位数的增长率上升。 In China, cumene is almost exclusively used to produce phenol and acetone. Important applications for phenol are phenolic resins and bisphenol A. Phenolic resins are used for, e.g., rigid foam boards in building insulation or for printed circuit boards in the electrical industry. Bisphenol A is an important monomer for the production of high-quality polymers such as polycarbonate and epoxy resin. More than 90% of Chinese demand for bisphenol A originates in the manufacturing of these products.
中国丙烯腈市场的发展高度依赖于丙烯腈丁二烯 - 苯乙烯（ABS）和丙烯酸纤维的应用。鉴于其在生长部门汽车，电气和电子以及构造中的多种应用，对ABS的需求正在动态增加。另一方面，丙烯酸纤维的市场并不能显着增长，部分原因是该扇形化学纤维的出口业务滞后。将来，对丙烯酸纤维的需求将与全球经济的整体恢复相对应。

The importance of propylene as major feedstock in the petrochemical industry can be seen in the immense demand volume. In 2013, the USA single-handedly consumed more than 14 mln tons of propylene. Thus, propylene is the second most important petrochemical feedstock after ethylene. Downstream industries manufacture a range of products based on propylene. Direct applications include, besides the plastic polypropylene, chemicals such as propylene oxide, acrylonitrile, cumene, butyraldehyde, acrylic acid and isopropanol. The markets for these derivatives are analyzed in the Ceresana study.
由于页岩气热潮,乙烷构成me the dominant feedstock in steam crackers. In contrast to other feedstocks such as naphtha or gasoil, the cracking of ethane yields a rather high amount of ethylene but only small amounts of propylene. This development has a notable influence on prices for propylene in the USA. The change from naphtha based crackers to ethane based production reduced the supply of propylene and increased volatility of prices. In order to counteract the supply deficit, an increasing amount of propylene is to be manufactured from propane in the USA. Dehydrogenation of propane is a way to produce a high amount of propylene directly. The share of propane in propylene production is expected to rise to more than a third in 2021. Manufacturers are profiting from increasing propane supply in the USA.
丙烯主要是加工成聚丙烯。According to analysis, US demand for this plastic will increase by about 2% until 2021. The standard plastic polypropylene is one of the most versatile packaging materials. Other applications include fibers, textiles, vehicle parts, electrical devices and household goods. The segment propylene oxide is highly dependent on the US market for polyurethane (PUR). PUR demand in the USA recovered comparatively quickly after the economic crisis hit, pre-crisis levels were already exceeded. The development on the PUR market is supported by innovations in particular, which continue to open up additional application areas. The manifold application possibilities include building insulation, cooling and refrigerating units, furniture and bedding, shoes, vehicles, varnishes, coatings, adhesives, binders, and rubber. But also the segments sports and leisure as well as electronics and electrics are reporting a rising demand for polyurethanes.
Butyraldehyde, manufactured from propylene using oxo synthesis, is processed directly in to the oxo alcohols butanol and 2-ethylhexanol in the USA. Butanol is used in the production of varnishes, fragrances and the syntheses of ethers and esters, while 2-ethylhexanol is, amongst others, utilized in various plasticizers. We expect downstream industries to provide only limited impulses for oxo alcohols in the near future.