The_Catalyst_Review_December_2023 - 4

Commercial News
Heraeus, Sibanye-Stillwater Introduce Ruthenium-based Catalyst to Reduce Reliance on Iridium
for PEM Water Electrolysis
Heraeus Precious Metals, in collaboration with Sibanye-Stillwater, unveiled its
latest solution, addressing a key challenge in sustainable hydrogen production.
Heraeus introduced a ruthenium-based catalyst for proton exchange membrane
(PEM) water electrolysis, combining the high activity of ruthenium-based
catalysts with a so far not achieved stability during hydrogen production.
Hydrogen has emerged as a fundamental element in the energy transition, with,
according to the Hydrogen Council, announced capacities of 175 gigawatts
(GW) expected by 2030. Notably, 40% of this future capacity is expected to
be produced using PEM electrolysis, a technology dependent on iridium,
an element in extremely limited supply. With only about nine metric tons of
iridium mined annually and widespread utilization in various industries, supply
bottlenecks are imminent - unless solutions are implemented that reduce
the amount of iridium used in the PEM application. Currently, approximately
400kg of iridium is required to build one GW of capacity. A reduction to less
than 100kg per GW is necessary to avoid supply bottlenecks. Heraeus' latest
innovation in collaboration with Sibanye-Stillwater presents a solution: a
ruthenium-based catalyst that can enable an 85% saving on iridium compared
to an iridium oxide catalyst, alleviating the potential supply concerns. Primary
production of ruthenium is 3.5 times that of iridium. Alongside iridium,
ruthenium also catalyzes the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is the
critical stage in PEM electrolysis. Ruthenium possesses superior catalytic activity
to iridium but lacks stability in the challenging conditions of a PEM electrolyzer
stack. Heraeus combines both ruthenium and iridium oxide in a novel manner,
enhancing stability while maintaining the increased catalytic activity provided
by ruthenium. The catalyst can achieve up to 50 times higher mass activity than
iridium oxide, and unlike ruthenium oxide alone, it remains stable in operational
conditions. Accelerated degradation tests confirmed its stability after 30,000
cycles, presenting activity loss significantly lower than for ruthenium oxide and
on par with iridium oxide. Source: Heraeus, 11/14/2023.
NPC to Invest $4.2 B for Petchem Projects to Enhance Iran's Self-sufficiency
Iran's National Petrochemical Company (NPC) announced a $4.2 B investment in domestic petrochemicals projects to enhance the
nation's self-sufficiency and complete the industry's value chain. The petrochemical industry is vital to Iran's economy, representing the
second-largest source of revenue after crude oil. The projects include the production of propylene, methanol, ethylene, aromatics, and
butylene. Source: Hydrocarbon Processing, 11/17/2023.
Evonik Makes Strides in Hydrogen Peroxide,
Colloidal Silica Sectors
Evonik announced that Fuhua, utilizing Evonik-licensed technology, will
build a new industrial-grade hydrogen peroxide plant in China's Sichuan
Province. In addition to producing an annual capacity of up to 200 kilotons,
the partnership will focus on producing specialty grades of hydrogen
peroxide. In a related development, Evonik is building a new $7.9 million
plant to produce ultra-high purity colloidal silica at its US-based site in
Michigan, projected to come onstream in 2024 and reportedly the first of
its kind on the continent. Source: Evonik, 11/16/2023.
Mitsui Chemicals to
Halt Production of PET
thyssenkrupp to Supply Processing Tech
for Australian Urea Unit
thyssenkrupp Fertilizer Technology of thyssenkrupp
Uhde has signed a contract with the Italian Group
Saipem to license a urea granulation unit in Karratha,
Western Australia. The project is being realized and
built for Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers by a joint
venture comprising the Western Australian company
Clough and the Italian company Saipem. Source:
thyssenkrupp, 11/21/2023.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. announced that it intends to close its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant
within Iwakuni-Ohtake Works in October 2024. Mitsui Chemicals began producing PET resin at
Iwakuni-Ohtake Works in 1984, from which point on the company steadily grew its PET business
in line with rising domestic demand for PET drink bottles. Since 2013, however, Japan has seen a
rise in imports of cheap PET from overseas, as well as growing demand for recycled PET bottles
that do not require virgin resin - a combination of factors that has forced Mitsui Chemicals to lower
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