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Süd-Chemie starts catalyst production as the first company in
the fast growing market in Qatar
Catalysts will be used to convert natural gas into diesel in GTL processes, as well
as to convert natural gas into further high-grade chemicals in other processes.
Süd-Chemie AG, Munich, a leading global manufacturer of catalysts and adsorbents,
commissioned today the first, and currently only, catalyst production plant in Qatar. The
plant will supply catalysts to the Gulf States, with a focus on the fast-growing market of
Qatar. The catalysts will be used to convert natural gas into diesel based on so-called
gas-to-liquid (GTL) processes, as well as in other processes for converting natural gas
into higher-grade chemicals.
To date, Süd-Chemie has invested a low double-digit million euro figure in this plant and
currently employs twenty people in Qatar. Based on forward orders, the production
facilities will be working to capacity for the next two years and discussions are already
underway on extending the newly-commissioned plant.
The catalysts are to be used in the region’s GTL plants, as well as in chemical and
petrochemical works, notably in Qatar and Kuwait. They will also be used by Shell and
Qatar Petroleum in the world’s largest GTL plant, PEARL, which is currently under
construction in Qatar and as from 2010, is initially due to produce 140,000 barrels of
diesel each day.
In view of both the increasing shortage and rising price of oil, the GTL market is highly
attractive, offering technology to convert natural gas into diesel and other high-quality
base materials for the petrochemical industry on an economically viable scale. At the
present time, the world´s largest chemical industry network based solely on gas is
emerging in the Gulf State of Qatar, the country with the third-largest gas deposits after
Russia and Iran. Over the next few years, oil and chemical enterprises will be investing
more than $20 billion in this venture. Qatar´s first major GTL plant has already been in
operation since the beginning of 2007, producing a planned capacity of 35,000 barrels of
diesel per day.
Dr. Hans-Joachim Müller, a member of Süd-Chemie AG’s Managing Board, said at the
plant’s opening ceremony held today in Mesaieed near the Qatari capital of Doha: “We
are very pleased that today, we are the first, and as yet the only catalyst manufacturer in
the world to be able to start operation of a catalyst plant in Qatar. With our catalytic
know-how, we will promote the commercial production of diesel from gas and of other
base chemicals. We are determined to continue expanding our site in Qatar by adding
other innovative products and in this way, will contribute to the region’s dynamic growth."
Technical information on gas-to-liquid processes and the role of catalysts
In the case of so-called gas-to-liquid (GTL) processes, natural gas is treated to create fuel and base chemicals. First of all, the gas is combined with steam and oxygen at high temperatures and converted to synthesis gas (syngas) using catalysts. In a series of further processes, this synthesis gas, a high-energy mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is converted stage by stage into a wide range of fuels with the aid of catalysts. New technology meanwhile allows syngas to be transformed directly into "clean" fuels free from sulphur and nitrogen, or into basic chemical elements (such as propylene or ethylene). Today, GTL technology is on the verge of a worldwide breakthrough. The reasons for this are, on the one hand, the growing shortage and constantly rising price of oil, as a result of which the more costly processing of gas has become economically viable. On the other hand, speciality chemical enterprises have been continuously developing more powerful catalysts in recent years, making it possible to convert gas into the desired products based on more efficient and more accurate techniques. Against a background of increasingly severe resource shortages, catalysts are more important today than ever before. Catalysts accelerate chemical reactions without being used up in the process, thereby promoting the cost-effective manufacture of chemical substances, while at the same time sparing resources. Some eighty percent of all chemical products are meanwhile created with the aid of
catalysts, which are usually developed specifically for customised use.
About Süd-Chemie: Süd-Chemie AG (www.sud-chemie.com) is a publicly quoted (Security Identification Number ISIN: DE0007292005; WKN: 729200) specialty chemicals company headquartered in Munich, Germany and operating on a worldwide scale. Key markets served by its Adsorbents Division include the consumer-goods, packaging and foundry industries, as well as the paper and plastics industries and water treatment. Products manufactured by the Catalysts Division offer solutions for the chemical, petrochemical and refinery industries, for energy storage and hydrogen production, as well as off-gas purification. The common denominator of all its products and innovations is the efficient and sparing use of natural resources to enhance the quality of life for humans and the environment. Süd-Chemie generated sales of €1.075 billion in 2007, approx.80% of these outside Germany. At the end of 2007, the group employed more than 5,000 people at its 70 sales and production sites
worldwide.
Süd-Chemie AG
Corporate Communications
Patrick Salchow, Jochen Orlowski
Ph. +49 (0) 89 5110-250/-247
www.sud-chemie.com
Posted June 2, 2008
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