Honeywell UOP said it is introducing an expanded portfolio of new hydrotreating catalysts used to remove impurities and contaminants from petroleum and other refining feedstocks to produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meets new global emissions regulations.

Honeywell UOP is a leading international supplier and licensor for the petroleum refining, gas processing, petrochemical production and major manufacturing industries.

The addition of a range of hydrotreating catalysts expands Honeywell UOP’s line of catalysts, which are used to produce transportation fuels and petrochemicals, said a statement from the company.

Hydrotreating is a critical step in the refining process where hydrogen and proprietary catalysts are used to pre-treat petroleum and other products to remove sulphur, nitrogen, metals and other contaminants before conversion into transportation fuels, it said.

Hydrotreating helps produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meets increasingly stringent global fuel regulations, including Euro-V, China-V, and in India, BS-VI – all of which specify sulphur content of less than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels, it added.

“By further broadening our own hydrotreating catalyst offerings, we can provide an expanded suite of catalysts for hydroprocessing, one of the most important technologies in refining,” said Ken Stacherski, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP’s catalysts, adsorbents and specialties business.

“We’re now applying our expertise in catalytic chemistry to meet our customers’ pre-treat and conversion needs and deliver greater customer value, whether their units were designed by Honeywell UOP or somebody else,” he added.

Honeywell UOP’s new offerings include more than two dozen hydrotreating catalysts for applications including:
• Hydrocracking and Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) pre-treat.
• Diesel and kerosene hydrotreating.
• Coker naphtha hydrotreating.

Honeywell UOP also offers catalysts for naphtha hydrotreating as well as FCC gasoline desulfurisation, said a statement.

The new catalysts will be produced at Honeywell UOP’s production facility in Shreveport, La, which in June inaugurated new and upgraded production facilities to produce the new catalysts, it stated.

With the introduction of the new catalysts, Honeywell UOP is ending an alliance with Albemarle that began in 2006 when the two companies partnered to provide hydroprocessing technologies.

While the alliance was a success for both companies, Honeywell UOP now will apply its expertise in catalytic chemistry to compete across a wide range of hydroprocessing technologies, while completing work started with Albemarle on projects initiated under the alliance, it added. – TradeArabia News Service