Gaseous olefins are the central molecules of the petrochemical industry, forming the key building blocks for a multitude of derived products. Their total annual market represents 300Bn$ as shown in the table hereunder.

Isobutene is the only olefin with direct applications in the fuel market. Currently, the quantity produced is limited because the production of all olefins is interlinked due to their simultaneous production in the same steamcrackers.

Currently, isobutene is obtained almost exclusively as a by-product from Naphtha crackers principally installed to produce other olefins, in particular ethylene. The isobutene supply is therefore limited by the capacity of those crackers, currently declining due to the emergence of cheaper sources for ethylene such as natural gas e.g. in the Middle East and shale gas e.g. in the US. Global Bioenergies’s process will allow large amounts of isobutene to be produced independent of other olefins, which could cause its market to rapidly expand significantly.