March 10, 2021 Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in partnership with Aramco, have demonstrated a technology that performs multiple upgrading steps at once, resulting in the stable conversion of crude oil to light olefins in a single-reactor system. JEDDAH — Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in partnership with Aramco, have demonstrated a technology that performs multiple upgrading steps at once, resulting in the stable conversion of crude oil to light olefins in a single-reactor system. Light olefins such as ethylene and propylene are some of the important building blocks for the plastic, construction and textile industries.