Johnson Matthey (JM) has signed an agreement with Bosch, a leading supplier to the automotive industry, to develop and produce catalyst coated membranes (CCM) for use in fuel cell stacks. JM’s high performance CCMs will be used in Bosch’s integrated, compact and scalable fuel cell power module for commercial vehicles, designed for longer distances.
Apart from having a good plant design, good maintenance practices and good operational discipline are key to optimise the performance of an acid plant and to protect it from corrosion and achieve a long life. B. Mumba, T. Mwanza and P. Ng’ambi of Kansanshi Mining PLC explore the Kansanshi sulphuric acid plant operations and the key parameters monitored and practices adopted that have helped to extend the catalyst campaigns from two years to four years.
Carbon Recycling International (CRI), which operates a geothermally powered green methanol plant at Svartsengi, 40km southwest of Reykjavik, had to evacuate its site in late November when a 3km fissure opened in the earth a few kilometres away and lava began spilling across adjacent land. Satellite photos of the area taken on November 24 show a large field of molten and cooled lava to the north, west, and south of Svartsengi, though the plant itself remained undamaged. CRI’s Iceland facility runs on CO2 , water, and renewable electricity from the Svartsengi geothermal power station. CRI says the low-carbon energy source allows it to produce 4,000 t/a of methanol with a greenhouse gas footprint just 10–20% that of conventional methanol.
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.
A report on CRU’s annual Sulphur+Sulphuric Acid Conference, held in Barcelona, in early November.
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.
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.