Honeywell develops hydrotreating catalysts, ends alliance with Albemarle

Honeywell UOP, Morris Plains, New Jersey, is introducing an expanded portfolio of new hydrotreating catalysts designed to remove impurities and contaminants from petroleum and other refining feedstocks to produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meets new global emissions regulations.

The addition of a range of hydrotreating catalysts expands Honeywell UOP's line of catalysts, which are used to produce transportation fuels and petrochemicals.

Hydrotreating is a step in the refining process where hydrogen and proprietary catalysts are used to pretreat petroleum and other products to remove sulfur, nitrogen, metals and other contaminants before conversion into transportation fuels. Hydrotreating is designed to help produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meets increasingly stringent global fuel regulations, including Euro-V, China-V, and in India, BS-VI – all of which specify sulfur content of less than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels.

Honeywell UOP's new offerings include more than two dozen hydrotreating catalysts for applications including:

• hydrocracking and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) pretreat
• diesel and kerosene hydrotreating

• coker naphtha hydrotreating
  

Honeywell UOP also offers catalysts for naphtha hydrotreating as well as FCC gasoline desulfurization.

The new catalysts will be produced at Honeywell UOP's production facility in Shreveport, Louisiana, which in June inaugurated new and upgraded production facilities.

With the introduction of the new catalysts, Honeywell UOP is ending an alliance with Albemarle, Charlotte, North Carolina, that began in 2006 when the two companies partnered to provide hydroprocessing technologies. While the alliance was a success for both companies, Honeywell UOP now will apply its catalytic chemistry to compete across a wide range of hydroprocessing technologies, while completing work started with Albemarle on projects initiated under the alliance.