Clariant and Lummus awarded catalyst tech contract for new isobutane dehydrogenation plant in China
Clariant and its process partner Lummus Technology have been selected by Huizhou Boeko Materials Co. Ltd., to provide their CATOFIN catalyst and process technology for the dehydrogenation of isobutane at the new plant in Huizhou City, China. The process technology is exclusively licensed by Lummus Technology, while the tailor-made catalyst is supplied by Clariant. It is the first time Huizhou Boeko will license the CATOFIN technology at one of their sites.
The scope of the current award includes the technology license and basic engineering. Once complete, the plant will produce 550,000 metric tons per annum (MTA) of net isobutylene, which will serve as feedstock for the downstream production of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). The highly efficient CATOFIN process uses fixed-bed reactors and operates at optimum reactor pressure and temperature to maximize catalytic dehydrogenation of isobutane for high yields of isobutylene at low investment and operating costs.
“We are delighted to deliver our industry leading CATOFIN catalyst to this first Huizhou Boeko plant and look forward to a fruitful partnership. CATOFIN offers excellent reliability and productivity, yielding superior annual production output, which in turn leads to increased overall profitability for the plant,” said Jens Cuntze, Business President Catalysts and APAC at Clariant.
"Lummus' CATOFIN technology offers the industry's most reliable, low cost and low carbon solution, from which Huizhou Boeko can leverage their expertise and production capabilities to secure a competitive advantage in the market," said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. "We are excited to provide this proven technology at Huizhou Boeko's site for the first time and look forward to supporting their growth and expansion in the future."
New plant ensures customer proximity and covers increasing demand
Since its commercial launch in 2017, CATOFIN has been selected for 39 new projects around the world. More than 50% of these plants are located in China. To meet the rapidly increasing demand of customers like Huizhou Boeko in the region and to ensure close proximity, Clariant recently opened a new CATOFIN catalyst plant with significant production capacity in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China in April 2023.
Lummus is the exclusive licensor for the CATOFIN and CATADIENE technologies, which utilize Clariant's high-performance catalysts. With over 90 licensed CATOFIN and CATADIENE awards, Lummus is the leader in technology for the on-purpose production of propylene, isobutylene and butadiene, which are recognized worldwide for low operating costs and on-stream reliability while meeting or exceeding nameplate capacity.
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