Catalysts are as vital to a downstream facility as enzymes are to the human body. Process catalysts, a $13 billion-per-year business worldwide, play a vital role in the wider economy.
The value of products dependent on process catalysts, which include refined products, chemicals and petrochemical products, and many others, is said to be around $500–600 billion per year.
Rising petroleum prices, strict environmental regulations, and rising demand for diesel are some of the key factors driving growth in the market. Whilst new and stringent environmental regulations are boosting the demand for petroleum refining catalysts in developed regions, rapid economic growth is driving the demand in developing regions, including the Middle East.
Refining and Petrochemicals Middle East identifies the most important catalysts companies active in the Middle East.
1 Company: Haldor Topsoe
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: Denmark
The family run company is the major market leader, and has been active in this sector since the 1940’s. Dr Haldor Topsoe, the company founder (pictured right), began the business by producing sulphuric acid catalysts.
Though the company produces a wide variety of catalysts, it mainly focuses on heterogeneous types, as this type of catalysis enables very selective processes. “One main benefit of the catalytic technologies is the ability to achieve high energy efficiency and high selectivity,” said Dr Topsoe.
Using nanotechnology has allowed Haldor to consider new generations of catalysts, and new ways to reduce energy use and the introduction of new technologies.
“Now we understand catalysts better. Even taking something as complicated as oil -which has thousands of compounds reacting- we can understand complexities at the molecular and atomic level and use this insight for new industrial innovations,” said Dr Topsoe.
The company serves its clients in the Middle East through its office in Manama, Bahrain. It is currently involved in various projects across the region, providing catalysts and process technologies to clients operating in the petrochemicals, refining and fertilizer sectors. The company hopes to develop new catalysts using chlorophyll.
2 Company: UOP
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: USA
UOP, headquartered in Illinois, USA, is one of the major international suppliers and licensors of process technology, catalysts to the petroleum refining, petrochemical and gas processing industries.
The company offers a wide variety of catalysts covering all the downstream sectors. In hydrocracking, UOP products are designed to respond to increased market demand for the processing heavier feeds, increased throughput and yields, lower hydrogen consumption and improved product quality.
For reforming processes, the UOP CCR platforming R-260 catalyst series has become the industry standard for CCR reforming processes in new and existing units with over 50 installations.
The R-262, R-264, and R-284 catalysts are high-density optimised catalysts with enhanced yield activity performance with less coke make. For light naphtha isomerisation units, UOP offers a series of isomerisation catalysts that provide additional flexibility for butamer and penex applications in addition to other types of catalysts. UOP serves its clients through its offices in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
3 Company: Axens
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: France
Axens was formed on July 1, 2001 through the merger of IFP’s technology licensing division with procatalyse catalysts and absorbents.
Axens is a refining, petrochemical and natural gas market focused company offering variety of products including processes, catalysts, absorbents and equipment, backed by nearly fifty years of research and development and industrial success.
Axens is organised along three business units comprising process licensing, performance and catalysts which commercialise and manufacture variety of catalysts.
Axens offers a complete product range of hydrotreating and hydroconversion catalysts from naphtha and gas oil to residue applications.
In addition to workhorse catalysts such as the LD series, Axens offers a wide range of products that it says can be adapted to virtually any hydrogenation scenario. The catalytic functions cover homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions in Axens’ biodiesel, Fischer–Tropsch, oligomerisation, sweetening and olefin dimerisation processes.
Axens serves its clients based in the Middle East through its office in Bahrain. Recently it revealed plans to build a hydroprocessing catalyst production plant in KSA.
4 Company: Johnson Matthey
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: UK
Johnson Matthey is a specialty chemicals company focused on its core skills in catalysis, precious metals, fine chemicals and process technology. Johnson Matthey’s principal activities are the manufacture of autocatalysts, heavy duty diesel catalysts, catalysts and components for fuel cells, catalysts and technologies for chemical processes, fine chemicals and chemical catalysts.
The company offers its clients a comprehensive portfolio of chemical catalysts, plus the ability to produce custom-made solutions, available at commercial scale. It continually develops new products, in many cases in cooperation with its customers, allowing them to lower their operating costs and improve their processes.
Johnson Matthey has operations in over 30 countries and employs around 9 700 people. The company serves its clients across the Middle East through its office based in Bahrain.
5 Company: Criterion
Business sector: Refining
Country of Origin: USA
Criterion is a supplier of hydroprocessing catalysts, which includes catalysts for hydrotreating, hydrocracking, hydrogenation and isomerisation. The company works with refiners in virtually every part of the world including the Middle East.
Criterion is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CRI/Criterion, which is a part of Shell Group and a major supplier of refining and petrochemical catalysts, processes and know-how. The company has been the leading innovator of hydroprocessing catalysts and processes for many years.
The SynSat process, which was introduced nearly 10 years ago, was the first process to enable low sulfur, low aromatics diesel production at moderate pressure and remains the one of the choices for making the highest quality diesel.
The company’s innovations in zeolite catalyst technologies over the past 10 years have led to significantly greater productivity from both gasoline and diesel-oriented hydrocrackers.
Criterion is affiliated with a number of companies including CRI Catalyst, Shell Global Solutions and Zeolyst International. The company serves its clients in the Middle East through its office in Dubai.
6 Company: Süd-Chemie
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: Germany
Süd-Chemie was recently taken over by specialty chemicals producer Clariant. The company’s existing businesses are integrated into two business units: Catalysis and Energy and Functional Materials. It offers catalysts required in the production of a wide range of petrochemical products, including olefins and aromatics such as styrene.
Notable products include Houdry Catofin catalysts for use in isobutylene or propylene production and the group’s styrene production catalyst, Styromax as well the catalyst for selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene.
In addition, MT-Prop – a highly specific zeolite catalyst- has been developed as the key element of producing propylene from methanol. For refinery customers, Süd-Chemie focuses on providing catalysts known for their durability and the value they add to the refinery processes via prolonged catalyst life and reduced plant down time.
For the polymer industry, the company offers custom catalysts for all major polypropylene process technologies used to produce polypropylene. Süd-Chemie and SABIC are joint venture partners of Scientific Design Company, a process licensing and catalyst company in New Jersey, USA which specialises in ethylene oxide, the process and catalyst.
Süd-Chemie established its Bahrain office in 2000 and opened a catalyst production plant in Mesaieed Qatar. The catalysts produced from Qatar’s plant are used to convert natural gas into diesel based on so-called gas-to-liquid.
7 Company: Albemarle
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: USA
Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals and catalysts.
The company offers high performing FCC catalysts and additives, HPC catalysts, polyolefin catalysts, chemical catalysts and alternative fuels technologies portfolio of products, and serves its clients in the Middle East from its office located in Dubai.
Albemarle enhances the performance of its catalysts by applying appropriate metal trapping technology and by using unique manufacturing technologies that ensure that a catalyst provides high accessibility for the feed molecules to the zeolite and the matrix.
Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Albemarle Netherlands, the company has entered into a joint venture with SABIC to manufacture 6000 tonne per year of tri ethyl aluminum, the key co-catalyst used in polyolefin production.
The company reported second quarter 2011 earnings of $114.2 million, compared to second quarter 2010 earnings of $81.8 million with a net sales of $742.1 million.
8 Company: Grace Davison
Business sector: Refining
Country of Origin: UK
Grace is a global specialty chemicals and materials company operating through two segments, Grace Davison and Grace Construction. Within Grace Davison there are various business groups including refining technologies, which develops and manufactures FCC catalysts and additives.
Hydroprocessing catalysts are sold through advanced refining technologies, a joint venture between Grace and Chevron Products.
Grace Davison has introduced various new catalyst technologies for the profitable processing of a wide range of feedstocks, from hydrotreated and low-metal feeds through to heavy crudes with high contaminant metal levels.
Grace Davison’s growth in the Middle East region has been built on excellent product performance, strong investments in high-quality production capacity, long-term investment in focused research and development, and providing industry-leading technical service.
The company has a strong commitment to the Middle East market. A new refining technologies office has been opened in Dubai where specialists from around the world are located to offer an increasing level of local technical service.
9 Company: BASF
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: Germany
BASF’s Catalysts division, headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, is specialised in supplying environmental and process catalysts.
The division develops and produces mobile emissions catalysts as well as process catalysts and technologies for a broad range of customers worldwide.
The business is one of the leading manufacturers of catalysts for the chemicals industry with solutions across the chemical value chain, as well as intermediates for pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.
It also provides polyolefin catalysts and absorbents, which offer guard-bed and catalyst intermediate technologies for purification, moisture control and sulfur recovery.
BASF’s expertise in petroleum catalysts is grounded in an ability to design and manufacture fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and in the skills to tailor catalysts to meet the needs of individual refiners.
BASF scientists with understanding of surface and catalytic chemistry coupled with material science, enables BASF to design and alter the essential physical and chemical properties of catalyst components to develop novel FCC catalysts.
10 Company: ExxonMobil Chemical
Business sector: Refining, petrochemicals
Country of Origin: USA
The catalysts products of ExxonMobil Chemical are currently used in more than 100 commercial facilities throughout the world, including the Middle East. The company offers a wide range of catalysts for petrochemicals and refining industries.
In the petrochemicals industry, Exxon offers catalysts for the production of xylenes, ethylbenzene and cumene via benzene alkylation.
For the refining sector, the chemical division of ExxonMobil provides catalysts for distillate and lubes dewaxing via cracking and selective isomerisation, while in advanced hydroprocessing, the company offers catalysts for hydrodearomatization and desulfurisation.
Catalyst manufacture occurs at the company’s state-of-the art Chemical Specialties Plant in Texas, with support from additional manufacturing capabilities in Japan. The company’s catalysts are used in a wide variety of downstream plants in the Middle East, though principally in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
