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Rhodia introduces new ligand
FOCUS its activities with those of jvs in Japan and China. Chemical Week, 10 Aug 2005, 167 (26), 6 & Chemical Market Reporter, 15 Aug 2005 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com) & Press release from: UOP, 4 Aug 2005
NEW PLANTS Criterion to boost catalyst supply in USA Criterion Catalysts & Technologies is to raise its capacity for catalysts for refining, in Michigan City, IN, USA, and the plant should recommence production in 3Q 2005. It has also started project work on a new global scale hydroprocessing catalyst plant. European Chemical News, 1 Aug 2005, 83 (2158), 15
New projects: Petron plans petchem expansion Petron Corp plans to invest $250 M to build a fluid catalytic cracking unit (to yield 140,000 tonne/y propylene), double its mixed xylenes capacity, and build a BTX extraction unit at its refinery in the Philippines. Asian Chemical News, 22/29 Aug 2005, 12 (504), 5
ON
C ATA LY S T S
owned by ConocoPhillips (USA), Eni (Italy) by means of Agip (Italy), and Shell (UK). Hospodarske Noviny, 9 Aug 2005, 49 (154), 14 (in Czech)
Consumer’s Co-operative Refineries implements Axen’s technology Axen’s Prime G+ technology has been employed by Consumer’s Cooperative refineries Ltd to desulfurize its FCC gasoline to less than 15 ppm. The 14,000 bbl/day unit has been started up, allowing the refinery to meet Canadian ultra-low sulfur gasoline standards. Hydrocarbon Processing, Aug 2005, 84 (8), 31
Chinese catalyst production line completed CNPC Fushun Petrochemical Co Ltd has completed a 3000 tonne/y general purpose catalyst production line which utilises patented technology and the latest catalyst formulation from UOP. It will produce high quality catalysts and adsorbing agents. It is China’s largest production line for hydrogenation and precious metal catalysts. Its designed energy consumption is lower than the average energy consumption of other domestic facilities. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Aug 2005, 19 (23), 13
Ceska Rafinerska to set up new unit to reduce sulfur content in petrols Ceska Rafinerska (CER) (Litvinov, Czech Republic), a petroleum refining company, will set up a new unit at its Kralupy-nad-Vltavou refinery to reduce the sulfur content in its petrols. The unit will cost several hundreds of millions of CEK. The decision on the project was made by CER’s extra general assembly on 5 Aug 2005. The unit should be in full operation in four years. It should be an incentive for the automotive industry to install a new generation of catalytic converters into cars to lower emissions significantly. CER has invested over CEK 950 M in new technologies reducing sulfur content in fuels so far. The new sulfur limit for fuels that has been in effect since 2005 is 50 micrograms/lt. From 2009 this limit will be reduced to 10 micrograms/lt. CER has a 51% stake held by the holding petrochemical company Unipetrol (Czech Republic). The remaining shares are equally
6
NEW TECHNOLOGY Novel catalysts cut costs, increase capability Novel catalyst technology, including nanotechnology, being developed by companies such as Haldor Topsoe, Reaxa (spun off from Avecia), Rhodia, Avantium Technologies, Umicore, ChiralQuest, and HTE is reviewed. Avantium reports sales growth of around 50%/y. Reaxa expects to generate sales of around $20 M/y by 2009. Pharmaceuticals account for around 90% of sales at present, but the company is hoping to move into the speciality and petrochemical sectors. Chemical Week, 10 Aug 2005, 167 (26) (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
Rhodia introduces new ligand Rhodia has added a new chiral catalyst ligand called Xuphos to its portfolio of phosphine ligands for the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones, which are used in the production of pharmaceuticals and fragrances. The new ligand was developed in collaboration with the University of Warwick. Chemical Week, 3 Aug 2005, 167 (25) (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
Johnson Matthey develops Smopex fibre Johnson Matthey, with its unique grafting technology, has come up with the Smopex fibre for use as metal scavengers. In the pharmaceuticals industry, the product can scavenge metals such as platinum, utilised in catalytic reactions for manufacturing APIs. The firm has filed with the FDA its first Smopex, Smopex-111, a thiol functionalised fibre for use in an API product stream. Manufacturing Chemist, Jul/Aug 2005, 76 (7/8), 14 & Chemical & Engineering News, 5 Sep 2005, 83 (36), 56
Dry gas hydrofining catalyst used in hydrogen preparation and ammonia production Northwest Research Institute of Chemical Industry’s (NRICI’s) dry gas hydrofining catalyst, developed by using refinery by-product dry gas, has been successfully used in raw material renovation in large and medium synthetic ammonia units and in hydrogenation preparation in refineries. Northwest Research Institute of Chemical Industry has developed JT1G hydrogenation catalyst and JT-4 hydrogenation catalyst suitable for the purification of refinery dry gas. JT-1G hydrogenation catalyst has excellent low temperature olefin/organic sulfur hydro-transforming activity, strong anticaking power, and high compatibility. J2-4 hydrogenation catalyst can reduce the olefin content in dry gas from 20% to under 3% in isothermal heating at a temperature of 240-260° C. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Aug 2005, 19 (23), 14
FC-12 hydrocracking catalyst Sinopec Fushun Research Institute of Petrochemical and Petrochemicals
OCTOBER 2005
NEW PLANTS Criterion to boost catalyst supply in USA Criterion Catalysts & Technologies is to raise its capacity for catalysts for refining, in Michigan City, IN, USA, and the plant should recommence production in 3Q 2005. It has also started project work on a new global scale hydroprocessing catalyst plant. European Chemical News, 1 Aug 2005, 83 (2158), 15
New projects: Petron plans petchem expansion Petron Corp plans to invest $250 M to build a fluid catalytic cracking unit (to yield 140,000 tonne/y propylene), double its mixed xylenes capacity, and build a BTX extraction unit at its refinery in the Philippines. Asian Chemical News, 22/29 Aug 2005, 12 (504), 5
ON
C ATA LY S T S
owned by ConocoPhillips (USA), Eni (Italy) by means of Agip (Italy), and Shell (UK). Hospodarske Noviny, 9 Aug 2005, 49 (154), 14 (in Czech)
Consumer’s Co-operative Refineries implements Axen’s technology Axen’s Prime G+ technology has been employed by Consumer’s Cooperative refineries Ltd to desulfurize its FCC gasoline to less than 15 ppm. The 14,000 bbl/day unit has been started up, allowing the refinery to meet Canadian ultra-low sulfur gasoline standards. Hydrocarbon Processing, Aug 2005, 84 (8), 31
Chinese catalyst production line completed CNPC Fushun Petrochemical Co Ltd has completed a 3000 tonne/y general purpose catalyst production line which utilises patented technology and the latest catalyst formulation from UOP. It will produce high quality catalysts and adsorbing agents. It is China’s largest production line for hydrogenation and precious metal catalysts. Its designed energy consumption is lower than the average energy consumption of other domestic facilities. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Aug 2005, 19 (23), 13
Ceska Rafinerska to set up new unit to reduce sulfur content in petrols Ceska Rafinerska (CER) (Litvinov, Czech Republic), a petroleum refining company, will set up a new unit at its Kralupy-nad-Vltavou refinery to reduce the sulfur content in its petrols. The unit will cost several hundreds of millions of CEK. The decision on the project was made by CER’s extra general assembly on 5 Aug 2005. The unit should be in full operation in four years. It should be an incentive for the automotive industry to install a new generation of catalytic converters into cars to lower emissions significantly. CER has invested over CEK 950 M in new technologies reducing sulfur content in fuels so far. The new sulfur limit for fuels that has been in effect since 2005 is 50 micrograms/lt. From 2009 this limit will be reduced to 10 micrograms/lt. CER has a 51% stake held by the holding petrochemical company Unipetrol (Czech Republic). The remaining shares are equally
6
NEW TECHNOLOGY Novel catalysts cut costs, increase capability Novel catalyst technology, including nanotechnology, being developed by companies such as Haldor Topsoe, Reaxa (spun off from Avecia), Rhodia, Avantium Technologies, Umicore, ChiralQuest, and HTE is reviewed. Avantium reports sales growth of around 50%/y. Reaxa expects to generate sales of around $20 M/y by 2009. Pharmaceuticals account for around 90% of sales at present, but the company is hoping to move into the speciality and petrochemical sectors. Chemical Week, 10 Aug 2005, 167 (26) (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
Rhodia introduces new ligand Rhodia has added a new chiral catalyst ligand called Xuphos to its portfolio of phosphine ligands for the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones, which are used in the production of pharmaceuticals and fragrances. The new ligand was developed in collaboration with the University of Warwick. Chemical Week, 3 Aug 2005, 167 (25) (Website: http://www.chemweek.com)
Johnson Matthey develops Smopex fibre Johnson Matthey, with its unique grafting technology, has come up with the Smopex fibre for use as metal scavengers. In the pharmaceuticals industry, the product can scavenge metals such as platinum, utilised in catalytic reactions for manufacturing APIs. The firm has filed with the FDA its first Smopex, Smopex-111, a thiol functionalised fibre for use in an API product stream. Manufacturing Chemist, Jul/Aug 2005, 76 (7/8), 14 & Chemical & Engineering News, 5 Sep 2005, 83 (36), 56
Dry gas hydrofining catalyst used in hydrogen preparation and ammonia production Northwest Research Institute of Chemical Industry’s (NRICI’s) dry gas hydrofining catalyst, developed by using refinery by-product dry gas, has been successfully used in raw material renovation in large and medium synthetic ammonia units and in hydrogenation preparation in refineries. Northwest Research Institute of Chemical Industry has developed JT1G hydrogenation catalyst and JT-4 hydrogenation catalyst suitable for the purification of refinery dry gas. JT-1G hydrogenation catalyst has excellent low temperature olefin/organic sulfur hydro-transforming activity, strong anticaking power, and high compatibility. J2-4 hydrogenation catalyst can reduce the olefin content in dry gas from 20% to under 3% in isothermal heating at a temperature of 240-260° C. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Aug 2005, 19 (23), 14
FC-12 hydrocracking catalyst Sinopec Fushun Research Institute of Petrochemical and Petrochemicals
OCTOBER 2005