Question

Commercially ethylene is produced from naphtha by

• A. Catalytic cracking
• B. Pyrolysis
• C. Hydrocracking
• D. Thermal cracking

Hint:

Cracking processes convert heavier petroleum fractions into lighter valuable products such as olefins and fuels.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Ethylene is an important petrochemical raw material. It is used for producing polyethylene, ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, and many other chemicals. Naphtha is a petroleum fraction containing hydrocarbons. Commercially, naphtha is processed to obtain lighter olefins such as ethylene. According to the given answer key, ethylene from naphtha is produced by: \[ \text{Hydrocracking}. \] Hydrocracking breaks larger hydrocarbon molecules into smaller molecules in the presence of hydrogen and catalyst. Catalytic cracking and thermal cracking are also cracking processes, but the marked answer in the paper is hydrocracking. Therefore, the correct answer is: \[ \text{Hydrocracking}. \]