Albemarle and Petrobras to build HPC plant in Brazil
Albemarle and Petrobras have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a world scale hydroprocessing catalyst (HPC) production plant on the site of their existing joint venture Fabrica Carioca de Catalisadores SA (FCC SA) in Santa Cruz, Brazil. The new facility will complement existing production of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts.
The plant will be constructed ahead of significant demand growth for hydroprocessing catalysts, as Brazil begins to implement more stringent specifications for ultra-low-sulfur diesel and as Petrobras begins to introduce new hydrotreaters to existing and new refineries over the coming years. Albemarle will provide FCC SA with its leading technology for the manufacture of HPC, enabling the production of STARS catalysts, which have enabled the broad implementation of the most stringent sulfur specifications in fuels in North America, Western Europe and Japan. The plant will be ideally placed to serve growing needs for HPC in South America.
Petrobras and Albemarle are also further enhancing their partnership by engaging into a joint technical cooperation aimed at the further development of advanced hydroprocessing catalysts, mirroring their very successful existing cooperation in the area of FCC catalysts.
"Petrobras is investing hard to improve the quality of its oil derived streams with the construction of new hydrotreating and hydroconversion units,” said Paulo Roberto Costa, downstream director of Petrobras. “Petrobras is increasingly making use of hydroprocessing catalysts and its future needs are going up by significant investments in new refining units. As an illustration of our catalysts demand, in 2016 it is expected to be 5 times higher than current consumption. This development is particularly important to guarantee market competitive sourcing over the long term. It also reinforces our strategic alliance with Albemarle."
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