Linear alpha olefins (LAOs) are single, unsaturated hydrocarbons ranging between four and more than 20 carbon atoms in length. They have a terminal double bond.
LAOs are produced by the oligomerisation of ethylene. They can also be separated from Fischer Tropsch synthesis products using a proprietary separation scheme. This option is an attractive route for recovering LAOs in the C5 to C8 range and can be used to produce 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene and 1-octene.