Hydrogenation
BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has introduced a new series of commercially proven alumina catalysts, which is now available with new performance features that can benefit selective-hydrogenation applications, such as first-stage pyrolysis gasoline (Pygas) or selective hydrogenation of dienes in C4 olefin streams. This new series of Pd on spherically shaped E15x catalysts replaces the E14x series of Pd alumina catalysts that have been used commercially for over 30 years in selective hydrogenation applications. The new series of alumina-supported catalysts offers better activity and tolerance to poisons, such as sulfur due to higher Pd dispersion, says BASF. The catalysts are also very uniform in size and shape, which helps to prevent maldistribution of feed in fixed-bed reactor applications. This new series of selective hydrogenation catalysts is available with Pd contents ranging from 0.15 to 0.75% Pd.
BASF also introduced a new purified terephthalic acid (PTA) catalyst, CBA-250, which has a lower Pd content compared to the standard commercial PTA catalysts CBA-300 and CBA-400. The lower Pd content makes CBA-250 commercially attractive and easy to adopt, as it is formulated to be equivalent to standard commercial PTA catalysts.