Due to ever stricter legislation towards lower SO2 emissions, superior catalyst shape and composition has become ever more important. Jochen Willersinn of BASF SE explains how BASF’s high-performance catalyst O4-116 Quattro combines the benefits of an increased surface area with a superior caesium-promoted active phase composition enabling significantly lower ignition and operating temperatures and thus reducing SO2 emissions.
This study introduces a new platinum-promoted honeycomb catalyst for sulphur dioxide oxidation, designed to enhance energy efficiency and reduce emissions in sulphuric acid production. Compared to conventional vanadium oxide based catalysts, the platinum-based catalyst demonstrates higher catalytic activity, lower ignition temperature, and significantly reduced toxicity.
QatarEnergy has announced its decision to build a new, world-scale urea production complex that will more than double Qatar’s urea production. The project is aiming to construct three ammonia production lines which will supply four new world-scale urea production trains in Mesaieed Industrial City. Total capacity for the new complex is projected to be 6.4 million t/a, more than doubling Qatar’s annual urea production from about 6 million tons per annum currently to 12.4 million tons per annum. Production from the project’s first new urea train is expected before the end of this decade.
Beyond its use in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, sulphur dioxide also has many industrial uses, especially in the food, paper, pharmaceutical and refining industries.
A report on CRU’s annual Sulphur+Sulphuric Acid Conference, held in Barcelona, in early November.
One challenge of a green revamp by stepwise injection of green hydrogen into existing ammonia/urea complexes is to cover the nitrogen demand for the ammonia synthesis while stepwise reducing the front-end load, usually by applying a cost-intensive air separation unit (ASU). thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH has developed an advantageous concept whereby, instead of an ASU, the nitrogen gap is closed by the introduction of pretreated reformer flue gas back into the ammonia process, with the side effect to also enhance CO2 production.
For six decades, Chemetics has been a pioneering force in the sulphuric acid design and equipment industry, consistently introducing groundbreaking technologies that have revolutionised the field by optimising the methodology in which chemicals are produced. This year, Chemetics celebrates its 60-year anniversary as one of the leading designers, direct equipment suppliers and fabricators that has modernised the sulphuric acid industry of today. This article dives into Chemetics’ rich history and key innovations that have shaped and moulded the industry.
Venkat Pattabathula, a member of the AIChE Ammonia Safety Committee, reports on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Safety in Ammonia Plants and Related Facilities Symposium held in San Diego on 8-12 September 2024.
Stamicarbon, in collaboration with KT Tech, has developed a cryogenic energy storage system, named GALCESTM , for green ammonia plants that addresses the intermittency challenges of renewable energy supply. The technology not only supports the sustainability goals of the ammonia production industry but also contributes to broader energy market stability and efficiency.
Based on 16 years of experience, Muhammad Nabeel Shakir of Fatima Fertilizer Company outlines a methodology to achieve optimum performance of the PGM catalyst and catchment system in nitric acid plants.