Only on Che.com :: Latest News
October 15, 2012
Clariant expands production capacity for dehydrogenation catalysts
Gerald Ondrey
Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) , a world leader in Specialty Chemicals, today announced to expand the production capacity for Houdry dehydrogenation catalysts. The expansion will be achieved by a low double-digit million Swiss francs investment at its current Louisville, Ky. plant. Production is planned to start in September 2013. Surging ethylene production based on shale gas without C3- and C4-olefins byproduct has generated a significant increase in Houdry catalyst demand.
The Houdry catalysts are part of the broad portfolio of highly innovative catalyst products from Clariant’s business unit Catalysis & Energy (formerly Süd- Chemie). It is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has 16 catalyst production sites worldwide. “The first expansion investment in Louisville will further strengthen our position in the market for Houdry catalysts and allows us to cover catalyst requirements from our customers”, says Harm Scheepstra, head of Business Unit Catalysis & Energy.
Houdry dehydrogenation catalysts are used in the petrochemical industry to produce C3- and C4- olefins from light paraffins (including butadiene) using the Catofin and Catadiene technologies, which are exclusively licensed through Lummus Technology, a CB&I business sector.
