The Catalyst Review January 2025 - 2

The Catalyst Review
HOT TOPICS
January Hot Topics!
Leading North America Activities:
● With 2024 behind us and prospects for 2025 appearing stronger, bearing in mind the change in the
US Presidency and the deep rhetoric already undertaken in the transition, US consumers have shown
they are still determined to have a solid start to the New Year. Despite the domestic and international
political and geographic instabilities which will characterize the next several months, the global
financial outlook is slowly improving led by the strengthening US economy. Also important are
shorter term inflationary pressures which may change depending on 2025 factors such as tariffs,
interest rates and consumer spending. From a business and stock market feeling, there will continue
to be volatility but as uncertainties become clearer in the New Year, perhaps some smoothing is likely.
● Reflecting such sentiments, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) expects modest US
chemicals volume recovery in 2025, projecting a 1.9% rebound, driven by a soft economic
landing and a housing market recovery in the year's second half. Anticipated Fed rate cuts
could boost demand for durable goods and housing sector activity, with a narrowing gap
between pandemic-era and current mortgage rates stimulating housing market transactions.
Additional Considerations:
● Addressing limitations of traditional butadiene production from steam cracking crude oil, and reflecting
the importance of scaling new technology advances towards commercialization, the US Department of
Energy's (DOE's) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is collaborating with Bridgestone to scale
a catalyst-driven process that converts ethanol into butadiene, a key ingredient for synthetic rubber, while
reducing carbon emissions. Developed by PNNL and leveraging $10 MIL in DOE funding, the catalyst
achieves high efficiency and durability. See also the nearby Innovation Corner documenting a concurrent
pursuit of scaling the ethanol to bio-propylene route by Gevo and LG Chem.
International:
● A concerning signal comes from the World Economic Forum (WEF) which indicates that approximately
25% of all planned CAPEX projects in the global chemical industry were either postponed or terminated in
2024. WEF attributes this trend to the prevailing high interest rates, which have significantly impacted the
industry's investment decisions. Note that concern about inflationary pressures with CAPEX, along with
the uncertainty of government policies and incentives in the US IRA have been voiced by many CEOs in
the oil, gas and chemicals industries. This is delaying FID's until further clarity is provided.
● In addressing the global plastics pollution issue, any treaty needs to balance ambitions with
political and economic realities. Negotiations stalled in December last year, as delegates failed to
reach consensus on critical issues like a cap on virgin plastic production. A draft text was agreed
upon, to serve as a foundation for talks resuming in 2025. Resin makers and industry groups remain
hopeful for a future agreement that aligns the entire plastics value chain, promotes recycled content
mandates, and supports waste management infrastructure, especially in developing economies.
● In 2024, most global refiners continued to invest in low-carbon projects but also began rationalizing
conventional crude processing capacities through divestments, site transformations, and closures. An Oil
& Gas Journal refining report late last year details operators' decisions to sell off or convert traditional
refining platforms to renewables, ensuring competitiveness while aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050
or sooner.
#CATALYSTGRP
Upcoming Updates: The Catalyst Review, will re-visit Zeopore's advances in zeolite modification for specific end uses,
take a look at advances in olefins (ethylene, propylene) production, and address sustainable recycling for energy metals
in batteries and solar panels. Please be on the lookout for these in-depth features and, as ever, thanks for reading!
Copyright ©2025 by The Catalyst Group Resources, Inc. All rights reserved. Words in all capital letters are either tradenames or acronyms for company names. Readers
are advised that tradenames are registered marks protected by applicable law. Reproduction and copying in any form without written permission is prohibited.
Subscribers may quote one or two articles per issue if the publisher is notified in writing and the source is cited. Information of this subscription is provided as a
service. Subscribers agree that the use of this information is solely at their own discretion. No warranty or guarantee is provided by the publishers. Subscribers agree
to indemnify and hold harmless the publishers on any use including loss or damages. The publisher's sole responsibility is to publish corrections upon notification.
2
The Catalyst Review
January 2025
An industry-focused, leading edge catalysis technology reference from The Catalyst Group Resources
THE CATALYST REVIEW
(ISSN 0898-3089)
January 2025, Volume 38, Issue 1
Published by The Catalyst Group
Happy New Year! This month's Special Feature article provides an interesting and informative perspective on
industrial hydrogen - its sources and its utilization. It is well-known that most hydrogen used in industrial
applications must be produced and is mainly derived from fossil fuels. However, because traditional hydrogen
production is associated with significant CO2 emissions, alternative routes to (or forms of) hydrogen are being
pursued. While CCUS and renewable-energy (RE) powered electrolysis are potential options, they remain
more expensive and on a much smaller scale. As a result, low-carbon hydrogen is often seen as the most viable
alternative to replace fossil fuels in so-called " hard-to-abate " sectors. The article's author, from the Oxford Institute
for Energy Studies (OIES), addresses a cost-effective alternative with comparable or lower carbon emissions
which could significantly advance the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions - geological H2. Take a look!
Resources, Inc., 750 Bethlehem Pike,
Lower Gwynedd, PA 19002, USA
+1-215-628-4447
thecatalystreview@catalystgrp.com
POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to:
The Catalyst Group Resources, Inc.
750 Bethlehem Pike Lower
Gwynedd, PA 19002, USA
Copyright 2025 The Catalyst Group
Resources, Inc. All rights reserved.
Legal Disclaimer. Copyright
Clearance Center.
The Catalyst Group Resources,
Inc. is a division of The Catalyst
Group, Inc., a worldwide technical
& commercial consultancy
specializing in chemical processdriven
change. The Catalyst Group
Resources, Inc. is dedicated to
helping clients understand the
business impacts of technology
change.
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER
John J. Murphy
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Eugene F. McInerney, PhD
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Salvatore Ali, PhD
Michele Aresta, PhD
Miguel A. Banares, PhD
Carlos A. Cabrera, MBA
Gabriele Centi, PhD
Avelino Corma, PhD
Frits Dautzenberg, PhD
Jayant D. Divey
George Huber, PhD
Michelle Lynch, PhD
Vishwas Pangarkar, PhD
Stephany Romanow
Gadi Rothenberg, PhD
Woody Shiflett, PhD
Marcio Wagner da Silva, PhD
Stefan Wieland, PhD

The Catalyst Review January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Catalyst Review January 2025