The Catalyst Review October 2019 - 2

COMMERCIAL NEWS
Shell Forms Catalyst Recycling
Joint Venture...
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V.
(AMG) and Shell Catalysts & Technologies
have signed an agreement to form a
joint venture which will be called Shell
& AMG Recycling B.V. The joint venture
will provide a long-term sustainable
solution for catalyst reclamation and
recycling. Refineries will benefit from
the combined technical capabilities and
integrated resources of Shell & AMG
Recycling B.V. by reducing the risk and
cost of transporting and disposing of
spent catalysts and eliminating the
need to landfill. In addition, they will
benefit from the monetization of the
valuable metals contained in their waste.
The process employed by Shell & AMG
Recycling B.V. extracts critical materials,
including vanadium, in the form of
ferrovanadium from spent catalysts.
Ferrovanadium is an alloy which increases
the strength of steel and is primarily used
in infrastructure applications such as
rebar or girders. Through the reclamation
of ferrovanadium from spent catalysts,
steel manufacturers benefit from a low
CO2 alternative compared to sourcing
the vanadium through mining. The joint
venture will operate outside of North
America and is subject to the necessary
regulatory approvals. Source: Hydrocarbon
Processing, 10/8/2019.
Clariant Catalysts and Wuxi
Xiyuan Join Forces in Off-Gas
Treatment for Silver-Based
Formaldehyde Plants...
Clariant's Catalysts business unit has
intensified its collaboration with Wuxi
Xiyuan to support China's formaldehyde
producers with innovative, sustainable
off-gas treatment. The advanced
emission control solution combines a
new technology from Wuxi Xiyuan with
Clariant's high-performance EnviCat VOC
catalysts and is specially designed for
producers using silver-based processes.
Despite the availability of a more efficient
and profitable production method based
on Clariant's next-generation FAMAX®
iron-molybdenum catalyst, the traditional
2

process using polycrystalline silver remains widely used in China. Consequently, Clariant
and Wuxi Xiyuan are now intensifying their efforts to help such producers meet the
latest regulatory requirements for emission control. The partners' new solution retains
thermal combustion, but adds catalytic oxidation using Clariant's EnviCat VOC. The
catalyst effectively removes harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon
monoxide with an exceptional conversion efficiency of up to 99% and even beyond,
while operating at only up to 400°C lower temperatures. This greatly reduces fuel
consumption and stress on equipment, resulting in significant economic, operational
and safety advantages for producers. The new approach has already been commercially
proven in a silver process formaldehyde plant in China's Xinjiang province. Following
start-up in September 2018, the plant passed all inspections and was certified by the
local authority. Source: Clariant, 10/9/2019.
Iran Goes Alone on Huge South Pars Project After CNPC Pulls
Out...
Iran's petroleum minister, Bijan Zangeneh, said that CNPC International (Beijing) had
pulled out of a contract to develop the huge South Pars phase 11 offshore gas project
and that Petropars Co. would develop the project alone. In July 2017, the National
Iranian Oil Co. signed a contract with a consortium of Total, CNPC International, and
Petropars to develop the offshore project in the Persian Gulf. However, following the
withdrawal by the US from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and the imposition of
new sanctions including restrictions imposed on foreign companies working in Iran,
Total pulled out of the contract. Zangeneh says that CNPC had now also pulled out of
the project. The South Pars project is crucial for the development of Iran's economy
and is expected, among other things, to be a major supplier of feedstocks to the
petrochemical industry. Source: Chemical Week, 10/7/2019.
BASF Invests in Quantafuel to Jointly Drive Chemical Recycling
of Mixed Plastic Waste...
BASF SE is to invest €20 million into Quantafuel, a specialist for pyrolysis of mixed
plastic waste and purification of pyrolysis oil, headquartered in Oslo, Norway. The
investment will be facilitated via the subscription of new shares and via the grant of a
convertible loan. Together, the partners aim to further develop Quantafuel's technology
for chemical recycling, consisting of an integrated process of pyrolysis and purification,
towards optimizing the output for the use as feedstock in chemical production. In a
second step, Quantafuel also plans to license the jointly developed technology to other
parties. Source: BASF, 10/7/2019.
Department of Energy Announces $73 Million for 35 Projects for
Bioenergy Research and Development...
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of 35 projects totaling
$73 million for bioenergy research and development (R&D). Funded through the DOE's
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, these projects will help reduce the
price of drop-in biofuels, lower the cost of biopower, and enable high-value products
from biomass or waste resources. "The main goal of DOE's bioenergy R&D is to produce
affordable biofuels that are compatible with existing fueling infrastructure and vehicles
across a range of transportation modes, including renewable-gasoline, -diesel, and -jet
fuels," said Secretary Rick Perry. The United States has the potential to produce 1 billion
dry tons of non-food biomass without disrupting agricultural markets for food and
animal feed. This underutilized domestic resource could be used to produce 50 billion

The Catalyst Review

October 2019

The Catalyst Review October 2019

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