Even with the exit of some companies and merger of others, the total number of refining catalysts has stayed about the same since OGJ's 1997 refining about catalyst survey.
There are about 825 different catalysts listed in the survey, compared to about 790 in 1997's survey. There were 31 companies in 1997 and 27 companies today.
Some products were merely reallocated from one company to another as a result of acquisitions. Many suppliers expanded their catalyst slate, which more than made up for the number of catalysts that were retired.
Different from the last report, combustion promoters and sulfur oxide-reduction catalyst categories are combined under one category in this survey. The new category, listed at the end of the survey, is fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) additives. Many of the FCC additives that were formerly placed in the FCC category have moved to the FCC additives category.
As regulations have focused on reduced olefins and reduced sulfur, FCC and hydroprocessing catalysts receive the brunt of higher performance expectations.
Despite these challenges, few changes occurred in the FCC category. Akzo Nobel Chemicals Inc. added three FCC technology options and revamped its FCC additives line.
Refiners are evaluating distillate and FCC feed hydrotreating catalysts for new or expanded units that will be needed to meet reduced sulfur regulations in the future. As some refiners are processing heavier feedstocks, these catalysts must also be more resistant to poisons such as metals and asphaltenes.
Not surprisingly, Criterion Catalyst Co. LP and UOP, which have a large slate of hydrocracking, hydrotreating, and hydrorefining catalysts, experienced the most changes in new catalyst designations in these categories.
Mergers, acquisitions
Like the refining industry that it supports, the catalyst companies experienced numerous mergers and acquisitions in the past 2 years. Synetix is a new name in the industry. ICI Katalco, Billingham, U.K.; Dycat International, Stannington, U.K.; Acreon Catalysts, Houston; and LaRoche Industries Inc., Atlanta, no longer exist under those names.
In September of 1998, the ICI Group merged its five catalyst-related businesses into one, Synetix. The new catalyst business brought together ICI Katalco, Unichema, HTC (part of Crosfield Catalysts), Vertec (part of Tioxide), and Tracerco.
Entries under Dycat have been incorporated with those of Synetix because Synetix acquired Dycat earlier this year (OGJ, June, 14, 1999, p. 38).
CRI International Inc. purchased KataLeuna GmbH in the past year. KataLeuna retains its identity in this acquisition. With the addition, CRI rationalized its product line to prevent multiple companies within the same family from offering the same or competing technologies.
CRI is the parent company in which the Royal Dutch/Shell group catalyst interests are maintained. CRI has a 50% stake in both Criterion and Zeolyst International.
In line with this these changes, KataLeuna exited the catalytic naphtha reforming and hydrocracking categories. It entered the steam hydrocarbon reforming and xylene isomerization categories.
Procatalyse SA purchased Engelhard Corp.'s 50% share of Acreon Catalysts in March of 1999. Acreon Catalysts was formerly owned by Procatalyse and Engelhard in a 50-50 joint venture (OGJ, Apr. 5, 1999, p. 40). Thus, Acreon Catalysts, reported on the past survey, no longer exists.
In the past 2 years, Procatalyse also exited from xylene isomerization and polymerization catalyst divisions.
Finally, LaRoche Industries exited the aluminas industry in June of this year when UOP purchased the business. The transaction included LaRoche's manufacturing plant at Baton Rouge, the full alumina product line, including LaRoche's proprietary Versal aluminas, and LaRoche's 50% interest in the Crilar joint venture with Criterion (OGJ, June 14, 1999, p. 38).
