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Davy Process Technology and SEKAB E-Technology form strategic partnership
FOCUS purchasing. Supplies of palladium are predicted to decline by 11% to 6.57 M oz, a nine-year low. We forecast that sales of Russian state stocks will decrease by over 0.5 M oz compared with last year. Falling average grades in Russia are expected to result in a decrease in newly-refined palladium output. Lower supplies are also expected from South Africa due to recent disruption to mining operations. The rhodium market is forecast to be in a deficit of 43,000 oz this year, the first since 2007. Stronger purchasing for autocatalysts and physical investment will drive up gross demand, while lower mined output from South Africa will lead to a decline in supplies. Lower recovery of rhodium from spent autocatalysts is forecast as intake of end-of-life exhaust systems at refineries declines in response to lower pgm prices. Purchasing of palladium by the autocatalyst sector is expected to rise by 7% to a new high of 6.48 M oz. Demand for palladium is forecast to benefit from growth in global vehicle production, with the strongest performance in the principally gasoline markets of Japan and the USA, as well as continuing substitution of platinum in diesel aftertreatment formulations. A softening of industrial demand for palladium, of 3%, is forecast to 2.41 M oz. In electrical applications, a longterm trend towards using cheaper base metal alternatives to palladium, in all but niche and high-end applications, continues to drive demand lower. However, a wave of chemical plant construction in China will stimulate purchasing of palladium for new catalyst charges Original Source: Johnson Matthey Platinum, Nov 2012, (2012 Interim Review), 2-3 (Johnson Matthey PLC, Precious Metals Marketing, Orchard Road, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5HE, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1763 256315; Fax: +44 (0)1763 256338. Website: http://www.platinum.matthey.com) © Johnson Matthey plc 2012
SA platinum production could be hit by more unrest Platinum production in South Africa, crippled by illegal strike action in 2012, could be further hit by unrest as the country’s biggest union refused to sign up to centralized bargaining. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which MAY 2013
ON
C ATA LY S T S
has in the last two weeks been recognised by the three largest platinum producers, is not taking part in negotiations about the issue. It raises fears that more illegal strikes could ensue as wage agreements at Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin end later in 2013. Original Source: Johnson Matthey, website: http://www.platinum.matthey.com/ (12 Mar 2013) © Johnson Matthey plc 2013
COMPANY NEWS BASF to start up new FCC catalysts testing and research laboratory in Heidelberg BASF has announced that it will startup a new multi-million euro fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts testing and research laboratory at the hte AG facility in Heidelberg, Germany. hte is a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF SE and a leading provider of high throughput technology and services for enhancing research and development productivity. The new BASF laboratory will begin operating in the first half of 2014, and will be used for hydrocarbon and FCC equilibrium catalysts standard analysis and characterization, FCC catalysts process methodology testing and related research activities, providing quality data to BASF and its customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The opening of the Heidelberg laboratory will increase the service capabilities offered by BASF’s existing FCC catalysts laboratory in Iselin, NJ, and will enable the company to better serve customers across all regions of the world. Original Source: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany, tel: +49 (0) 621 600, website: http://www.basf.com (13 Mar 2013) © BASF 2013
Davy Process Technology and SEKAB E-Technology form strategic partnership Davy Process Technology Limited (Davy), a Johnson Matthey company, and SEKAB, a leading player in the field of ethanol based chemicals and biofuels, announced on 13 Mar 2013 at
the World Biofuels Markets that they are embarking on a collaboration to develop and market CelluTech, SEKAB’s lignocellulosic based biorefinery technology. The technologies that constitute CelluTech were developed by SEKAB ETechnology in collaboration with Swedish universities. International experts have rated the CelluTech process among the most advanced methods to treat lignocellulosic biomass in the world. SEKAB and Davy will combine their expertise to drive the technology forward to meet the growing demand for advanced biorefining technologies to produce sustainable lignocellulosic sugars, ethanol and other green chemicals. The technology platform, which is at the core of the collaboration, consists of several steps, including thermochemical pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis to initially produce sugars, for the onward production of ethanol by fermentation and other products from lignocellulosic materials. The platform is flexible and can be adapted to a variety of raw materials such as wood, straw, corn residues, and bagasse. Original Source: Johnson Matthey, website: http://www.matthey.com (13 Mar 2013) © Johnson Matthey plc 2013
Dow picks two units for disposal Dow Chemical has chosen two noncore businesses to divest: its plastics additives business and its polypropylene (PP) technology licensing unit, which markets the Unipol PP technology and sells catalysts. The sale of the businesses is expected to generate almost $1.5 bn in after-tax proceeds. Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 18 Mar 2013, 91 (11), 18 (Website: http://www.cenonline.org) © American Chemical Society 2013
USDA announces new conservation collaboration with DuPont to promote sustainable harvesting of bio-based feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new federal-private collaboration with DuPont to safeguard natural resources on private lands used to supply biobased feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production. The joint agreement between USDA’s Natural
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SA platinum production could be hit by more unrest Platinum production in South Africa, crippled by illegal strike action in 2012, could be further hit by unrest as the country’s biggest union refused to sign up to centralized bargaining. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), which MAY 2013
ON
C ATA LY S T S
has in the last two weeks been recognised by the three largest platinum producers, is not taking part in negotiations about the issue. It raises fears that more illegal strikes could ensue as wage agreements at Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin end later in 2013. Original Source: Johnson Matthey, website: http://www.platinum.matthey.com/ (12 Mar 2013) © Johnson Matthey plc 2013
COMPANY NEWS BASF to start up new FCC catalysts testing and research laboratory in Heidelberg BASF has announced that it will startup a new multi-million euro fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts testing and research laboratory at the hte AG facility in Heidelberg, Germany. hte is a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF SE and a leading provider of high throughput technology and services for enhancing research and development productivity. The new BASF laboratory will begin operating in the first half of 2014, and will be used for hydrocarbon and FCC equilibrium catalysts standard analysis and characterization, FCC catalysts process methodology testing and related research activities, providing quality data to BASF and its customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The opening of the Heidelberg laboratory will increase the service capabilities offered by BASF’s existing FCC catalysts laboratory in Iselin, NJ, and will enable the company to better serve customers across all regions of the world. Original Source: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany, tel: +49 (0) 621 600, website: http://www.basf.com (13 Mar 2013) © BASF 2013
Davy Process Technology and SEKAB E-Technology form strategic partnership Davy Process Technology Limited (Davy), a Johnson Matthey company, and SEKAB, a leading player in the field of ethanol based chemicals and biofuels, announced on 13 Mar 2013 at
the World Biofuels Markets that they are embarking on a collaboration to develop and market CelluTech, SEKAB’s lignocellulosic based biorefinery technology. The technologies that constitute CelluTech were developed by SEKAB ETechnology in collaboration with Swedish universities. International experts have rated the CelluTech process among the most advanced methods to treat lignocellulosic biomass in the world. SEKAB and Davy will combine their expertise to drive the technology forward to meet the growing demand for advanced biorefining technologies to produce sustainable lignocellulosic sugars, ethanol and other green chemicals. The technology platform, which is at the core of the collaboration, consists of several steps, including thermochemical pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis to initially produce sugars, for the onward production of ethanol by fermentation and other products from lignocellulosic materials. The platform is flexible and can be adapted to a variety of raw materials such as wood, straw, corn residues, and bagasse. Original Source: Johnson Matthey, website: http://www.matthey.com (13 Mar 2013) © Johnson Matthey plc 2013
Dow picks two units for disposal Dow Chemical has chosen two noncore businesses to divest: its plastics additives business and its polypropylene (PP) technology licensing unit, which markets the Unipol PP technology and sells catalysts. The sale of the businesses is expected to generate almost $1.5 bn in after-tax proceeds. Original Source: Chemical and Engineering News, 18 Mar 2013, 91 (11), 18 (Website: http://www.cenonline.org) © American Chemical Society 2013
USDA announces new conservation collaboration with DuPont to promote sustainable harvesting of bio-based feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new federal-private collaboration with DuPont to safeguard natural resources on private lands used to supply biobased feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production. The joint agreement between USDA’s Natural
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