The Catalyst Review December 2024 - 3

COMMERCIAL NEWS
Climate finance, carbon markets and more: 4
key takeaways from COP29
COP29, held in Baku, focused on climate finance and
carbon markets, with key outcomes including a new global
climate finance target of $1.3T annually, including $300B
from developed countries. Progress was made on carbon
market mechanisms, with clear guidelines for carbon
credit transactions under Article 6, including environmental
safeguards. However, no significant advancement was
made on fossil fuel phaseout or energy transition targets.
While COP29 highlighted the need for ambitious, investable
nationally determined contributions (NDCs), critical issues
like fossil fuel subsidies and scaling climate finance remain
unresolved. The summit set the stage for further action at
COP30 in Brazil. Source: World Economic Forum, 11/2/2024.
Plastics treaty negotiations end without
agreement, more talks planned next year
Negotiators failed to reach an agreement on a global
plastic pollution treaty during talks in Busan, South Korea,
in December 2024. The key issue was whether to include
measures to reduce global plastic production and regulate
toxic chemicals in plastics. While over 100 countries
supported limiting production and tackling cleanup,
plastic-producing nations, including India and Saudi Arabia,
opposed such measures. The negotiations, originally meant
to finalize a legally binding treaty by 2024, will resume next
year. Some nations expressed frustration with the slow
progress, while others, like Rwanda, urged a more ambitious
treaty to address the global plastic crisis. Source: Chemical
Week, 12/2/2024.
Cyclyx to invest in second Cyclyx
Circularity Center
Cyclyx International has approved a $135M investment
to build its second Cyclyx Circularity Center (CCC2) in
Fort Worth, Texas, expected to begin operations in 2026.
The facility will process 300 million pounds of plastic
waste annually using advanced and mechanical recycling
technologies. Like the first Cyclyx center in Houston, CCC2
will create over 100 local jobs and help recycle plastics
that are typically not accepted in traditional programs,
advancing the circular economy. Together, CCC1 and CCC2
will produce 600 million pounds of feedstock annually.
Source: Lyondell Basell, 11/26/2024.
Biden administration will not finalize clean fuel
tax credit guidance
The Biden administration will not finalize guidelines for
clean fuel production tax credits before January, delaying a
key part of the climate agenda. This affects the sustainable
The Catalyst Review
aviation fuel (SAF) industry, crucial for meeting the 2030 production
target. Without clear guidance, the program risks becoming
inactive, and biofuel companies, especially ethanol producers,
face uncertainty. The delay is due to political disagreements
over meeting climate targets. Source: Hydrocarbon Processing.
12/6/2024.
BASF and INOCAS sign agreement to develop
sustainable Macaúba oil supply in Brazil to produce
bio-naphtha
BASF and INOCAS signed a long-term agreement to scale up
Macaúba oil production in Brazil, with INOCAS supplying BASF with
Macaúba Kernel Oil (MKO) for personal and home care products
starting in 2025 Macaúba Pulp Oil (MPO) will be used to produce
bio-naphtha for sustainable products like polymers and fuels,
starting in 2027. The project supports regenerative agriculture and
aims to plant 50,000 hectares by 2030, benefiting smallholder
farmers and improving soil quality. BASF also has the option
to acquire equity in INOCAS. Source: Hydrocarbon Processing,
12/11/2024.
INNOVATION
CORNER
In pursuit of the " holy grail " in catalysis - direct
methane conversion!
Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) have developed
a palladium-based catalyst that converts methane to methanol in
a single step. The catalyst, featuring a carbon interlayer between
palladium and cerium oxide, operates at 75°C with 100% methanol
selectivity, avoiding byproducts common in traditional methods.
The key is the monometallic Pd-CeO2 catalysts, modified by carbon,
created by a simple mechanochemical synthesis method using
hydrogen peroxide as oxidizing agent. The solvent free synthesis
yields a distinctive Pd-iC-CeO2 interface, where interfacial carbon
(iC) modulates metal-oxide interactions and facilitates tandem
methane activation and peroxide decomposition, thus resulting
in an exclusive methanol yield of 117 μmol/gcat. The BNL team
highlights the roles of ligand effect and strong metal-support
interaction (SMSI).
The findings hold the promise of paving the way for cost-effective
metal-carbon-oxide catalysts that harness the synergistic
properties of reducible oxide supports and highly active metal
centers while leveraging unique solvent effects to enhance the
production of desired target products. This breakthrough opens
new avenues for advancing catalytic processes, contributing to
sustainable and efficient chemical transformations, and ultimately
fostering more environmentally friendly chemical production.
The commercial implications are meaningful, providing a potential
solution for utilizing stranded natural gas by transforming it into a
transportable liquid, useful as a fuel or chemical intermediate (e.g.,
methanol to olefins). BNL is scaling up production of the catalyst
and seeking partnerships to commercialize the technology.
Refs: Chemical Engineering December 2024; https://pubs.acs.org/
doi/10.1021/jacs.4c04815
December 2024
3

https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/12/biden-administration-will-not-finalize-clean-fuel-tax-credit-guidance/?oly_enc_id=3914C7547589C2W https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/cop29-4-key-takeaways/ https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/12/basf-and-inocas-sign-agreement-to-develop-sustainable-macauba-oil-supply-in-brazil-to-produce-bio-naphtha/?oly_enc_id=3914C7547589C2W https://chemweek.com/document/show/phoenix/5872946/Plastics-treaty-negotiations-end-without-agreement-more-talks-planned-next-year https://chemweek.com/document/show/phoenix/5872946/Plastics-treaty-negotiations-end-without-agreement-more-talks-planned-next-year https://www.lyondellbasell.com/en/news-events/products--technology-news/cyclyx-to-invest-in-second-cyclyx-circularity-center/ https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.4c04815 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.4c04815

The Catalyst Review December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Catalyst Review December 2024