Specialty and Custom Catalysts
With many decades of catalyst development expertise in a broad range of speciality applications, Shell Catalysts & Technologies delivers a full slate of proprietary and custom catalysts to our customers.
Speciality Catalysts
Recommending and sharing our views on the best catalysts to function under the specific conditions prevailing within a specific petrochemical application requires considerable technical experience and understanding. With a proven reputation for enabling results for customers from across the petrochemical sector, Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers a diverse range of Specialty catalyst solutions including:
| Applications | Description |
|---|---|
| Hydrogenation of nitro compounds to amines | Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers multiple catalyst solutions for the reduction (hydrogenation) of aliphatic nitro compounds to their corresponding amines. The types of catalyst available include nickel, copper, cobalt, and combinations thereof on a wide variety of carriers. |
| Hydrogenation of glucose to sorbitol | Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers catalysts for the hydrogenation of glucose to sorbitol. The bulk nickel catalysts are available in tablet or extrudate form on a variety of carriers suited for the specific working environment. |
| Hydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene | Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers catalyst solutions such as VAM catalysts which are designed to meet two important performance characteristics: stability and activity. These catalysts have maintained commercial performance with life cycles greater than three years even at very high space time yields (STY鈥檚) of 850 or greater. Shell Catalysts & Technologies has a VAM catalyst to achieve your high activity and production goals. |
| Vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) catalysts | Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers catalysts for VAM catalysts which are designed to meet two important performance characteristics: stability and activity. These catalysts have maintained commercial performance with life cycles greater than three years even at very high space time yields (STY鈥檚) of 850 or greater. CRI has a VAM catalyst to achieve your high activity and production goals. |
| Nylon production chain catalysts | Shell Catalysts & Technologies offers several catalysts used in the nylon production process with catalyst solutions to hydrogenate phenol to cyclohexanone, convert alpha methyl styrene (AMS) to cumene, and saturate benzene to cyclohexane. |
Custom Catalysts
Customers are continuously striving to create competitive advantage by improving their production processes, providing better products, developing leading-edge technologies and maintaining consistent operating results. In many cases, a key to achieving these goals is the development of custom catalyst products, designed specifically for individual customer applications/processes. Shell Catalysts & Technologies works with customers to create or identify specific catalysts to help achieve their program goals.
With many decades of research and development (R&D), catalyst scale-up, manufacturing and surface and materials science capabilities Shell Catalysts & Technologies, is a highly desirable partner in custom catalyst development. Providing the tools to develop and progress your custom catalyst project from lab scale to full commercialisation.
Delivering Value with First Hand Experience and World Class Expertise
Shell Catalysts & Technologies understands that speed to market on new technology advances is critical. Without the proper global support, catalyst expertise, research skill sets, and close collaboration with a trusted partner, deadlines can extend and opportunities can be lost. Employing the latest technologies/tools for catalyst development and testing Shell Catalysts & Technologies bring an experienced workforce, from the lab technician to the Ph.D. research chemist. Along with these assets, Shell Catalysts & Technologies adds the ability to understand customers鈥� needs working closely and securely with them to develop a catalyst that reaches their goals. Our knowledgebase adds value and our resources provide the desired speed to market. This is where Shell Catalysts & Technologies delivers value for custom catalyst customers.
To compliment custom catalyst development, Shell Catalysts & Technologies affiliates operate manufacturing plants in Europe and the United States, offering a full range of base and noble metal catalyst and zeolite production capabilities. Shell Catalysts & Technologies also utilises its global resources, talented scientists and advanced analytical tools to not only develop individualised catalyst solutions but to offer our customers the opportunity to explore catalyst improvements. Shell Catalysts & Technologies is also able to investigate potential operational problems through post-mortem analysis of spent catalysts samples with the goal to continuously improve catalyst life, selectivity and efficiency.
Catalysts Frequently Asked Questions
When selecting speciality catalysts for petrochemical processes, activity and selectivity are key criteria to consider. Activity refers to the catalyst's ability to enhance reaction rates, while selectivity determines its capability to produce desired products with minimal undesired by-products. Other important properties include stability, resistance to deactivation, and compatibility with process conditions. Moreover, the development of custom catalysts, tailored to address specific requirements, enables efficient and effective achievement of desired product outcomes through precise property optimisation.
