Sumitomo Chemical has started up the pilot facility for its new proprietary process to produce propylene directly from ethanol at the Sodegaura site of its Chiba works in Japan. With the start-up of the pilot facility, the company will accelerate its demonstration project for this process, with the aim of commercializing the process and licensing the technology to other companies by the early 2030s. Unlike other propylene production processes, this new process allows for the one-step production of propylene without passing through intermediates such as ethylene, which is anticipated to reduce production costs. It also generates hydrogen as a by-product.