UOP, a Honeywell company has been selected by Zhangjiagang Yangzi River Petrochemical (Zhangjiagang) to provide key technology to produce propylene in China.

Zhangjiagang will utilize Honeywell’s UOP C3 Oleflex process technology to convert propane to propylene at it facility is located in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province.

The new units will produce 600,000 metric tonnes of propylene annually.

UOP will provide the engineering design, technology licensing, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, staff training and technical service for the project.

UOP senior vice president and general manager for process technology and equipment Pete Piotrowski said the combined Oleflex projects will help increase propylene production by nearly five million metric tonnes globally in the next three years.

The units are expected to start operations in 2014.

Zhangjiagang Yangzi River Petrochemical is a joint venture of Oriental Energy, Huachang Chemical and Feixiang Chemical.