Missing links in the production chain: Why don’t petrochemicals produce polyurethane?

According to Energy Press, despite Iran’s high capacity in propane production and the development of the propylene chain, one of the key links in this path—polyurethane—still has a large gap in the country’s petrochemical industry. This widely used material, which plays a vital role in various industries from automotive and home appliances to construction and insulation, is not only not produced industrially and widely in Iran, but its complete dependence on imported raw materials has created a deep gap in the value chain. An examination of the reasons for this neglect, from technical and infrastructure challenges to economic barriers and international sanctions, shows that polyurethane could be one of the strategic opportunities for petrochemical development, an opportunity that has been overlooked so far.
In an exclusive interview with this media outlet, Mohsen Ansari, a petrochemical expert, referred to the propane chain and the lack of development in the polyurethane (PUR) sector, saying: Over the past years, experts have repeatedly emphasized that the propylene chain in Iran is incomplete and that many important products in this path are either not produced or are produced on a scale lower than domestic needs. This is while the country needs 5 to 6 million tons of polypropylene annually, but current production is not even close to this number.
Why has polyurethane been neglected?
According to Ansari, in the development of the propylene chain, Iran has mainly focused on primary products such as polypropylene, but there has been no news of the development of other widely used derivatives of this chain—such as acrylonitrile, epichlorohydrin, and especially polyurethane. The main reason, like many other projects, is the lack of economic viability and the need for heavy investment. But in the case of polyurethane, the issue is much more complex and also relates to technical and infrastructure factors.
Lack of raw materials and weakness in the aromatic chain
Polyurethane is made up of two main raw materials: isocyanates and polyols. Ansari explains that currently the only isocyanate production unit in the country is Karun Petrochemical, which operates with limited capacity due to a shortage of aromatic feedstock. The reason for this shortage is the lack of adequate infrastructure in the aromatics production chain, as the Iranian petrochemical industry has focused more on olefinic chains and marginalized the development of the aromatic chain.