Sasol expands German catalyst carrier capacity

Sasol has expanded the production capacity of its alumina spheres plant in Brunsbüttel to 4,000 tpy, the company announced on Wednesday. 

Through the company’s performance chemicals inorganics and catalyst division, a leading global producer of inorganic specialities, it produces high purity and ultra-high purity alumina that is used in a range of catalytic and non-catalytic applications.

The expansion marks another step in the company strengthening its position in the alumina market to meet growing market demand for alumina-based shaped carrier materials for industrial catalytic and non-catalytic applications. 

Due to physical and chemical properties, the shaped carriers produced by the division are sought-after in fast-growing markets, such as the refinery catalyst market.

Sasol says it can meet its customers’ increasing demands due to its ability to control the physical and chemical properties of its products. This includes tailoring the porosity of its spheres and producing spheres doped with various elements at the request of the customer. A key strength is that it can tailor make near-perfect spherical alumina spheres with a narrow size distribution and low attrition that serves as effective carriers for various industrial applications.

“Demand for our shaped carrier materials has been growing significantly thanks to Sasol Performance Chemicals’ ability to deliver innovative and tailored solutions in close collaboration with its customers,” said Dr. Klaus Diblitz, vice president of inorganics and catalyst at Sasol Performance Chemicals. “This move to debottleneck capacity shows we are determined to keep pace with this growing demand worldwide and with our customers’ specific product requirements.”

Sasol’s Performance Chemicals division has a wide range of shaped carrier materials for catalytic and non-catalytic applications covering a range of products from extrudates and tablets to zeolite-doped and customized metal-doped spheres, according to company officials. 

The company says it is well placed to add value to its customers globally, as its products have unique properties derived from Sasol’s proprietary production process and the high-purity alumina raw materials used in production.