The major source of butadiene (BD) is as a by-product in the steam cracking of naphtha and gas oil to make ethylene and propylene. It is extracted from the crude C4 cracker stream.
Butadiene is used primarily as a chemical intermediate and polymer component in the manufacture of synthetic rubber. Butadiene is the main raw material for synthetic rubber, styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polybutadiene (PBR), chloroprene and nitrile. SBR is the largest consumer followed by PBR. The next largest consumers are styrene butadiene latex (SBL) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins. It is also used to make adiponitrile (ADN) for nylon 6,6 production.
ICIS pricing quotes butadiene in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US Gulf.
To find out more Butadiene/C4s Methodology January 2013
