Clariant : brings extended portfolio of acetylene selective hydrogenation catalysts to China

• OleMax® catalyst family hydrogenates acetylene to ethylene with high selectivity and operational stability
• Expanded portfolio ranges from cost-effective to ultra-high-performance catalysts
• More profitable, safer, more sustainable solution for ethylene producers with 'front-end' process configurations

Munich, May 9, 2018 - Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, today announced the launch of an expanded portfolio of acetylene selective hydrogenation catalysts in China. The company has extensive experience in catalysts for the production of ethylene, which serves as a feedstock for a variety of plastics. The OleMax catalyst series is highly appreciated in the industry, providing high performance as well as operating flexibility.

Clariant now offers three tailor-made catalysts for the industry-preferred 'front-end' process configuration for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene:

OleMax 252 offers high selectivity to ethylene and operational stability over wide temperature ranges. It is the cost-effective option for budget-minded ethylene producers as its low-bulk-density carrier offers cost savings on volumetric basis.

Like the whole catalyst family, it can be used in a new build or as a drop-in solution in an existing facility. It is optimized to operate in de-ethanizer and de-propanizer overhead as well as in raw gas hydrogenation process configurations.

OleMax 254 delivers high selectivity while showing lower sensitivity towards CO swings. This allows stable operation over increased temperature ranges. The excellent durability of its carrier allows operating OleMax 254 through more than one cycle after ex-situ regeneration. The catalyst is suitable for de-ethanizer and de-propanizer plant configurations.

OleMax 252 and OleMax 254 are already installed in numerous world-scale ethylene production facilities proving outstanding performance.

OleMax 260, the latest innovation in the range, provides a near perfect selectivity to ethylene (close to 100% when operated properly), resulting in significant economic benefit for producers. Perhaps more important is the catalyst's ultra-high stability, which impedes thermal runaway reactions that can lead to unplanned production outages. The exceptional selectivity and consequent stability of OleMax 260 ensures reliable, on-specification performance over an unprecedentedly wide operating range, even at the extremely low CO levels typical of new cracking furnace technologies.

A further advantage of OleMax 260 is a faster, more sustainable start-up: The catalyst's simplified streaming procedure significantly reduces normal start-up-related hydrocarbon flaring and time to on-specification ethylene production.

The first commercial start-up of OleMax 260 has been successfully achieved in the United States. To date, this state-of-the-art catalyst has delivered the superior performance and benefits expected.

Thomas Wenger, Head of Clariant's Business Unit Catalysts in China, commented, 'Clariant's focused innovation process has delivered solutions to the remaining challenges faced in front-end selective hydrogenation of acetylene. Now, ultra-high selectivity is no longer a goal, but a proven attribute of Clariant's OleMax catalyst family.'

OleMax® IS A TRADEMARK OF CLARIANT REGISTERED IN MANY COUNTRIES.