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Catalysts
2-way HVOC Oxidation
Catalysts
Johnson Matthey’s Halocat® range of
VOC oxidation catalysts have been developed for the
control of CO and halogenated compounds present in
the waste streams of chemical plant.
Halocat® products are also routinely used in
the remediation of contaminated soil.
HVOC Oxidation Catalysts for Chlorinated Streams
VCM (vinyl chloride monomer) is a potentially
hazardous chemical intermediate used predominantly
in the manufacture of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and
various plastics and EDC (ethylene dichloride) is
another chemical intermediate used as a solvent in
the production of VCM.
For some sixty years now, VCM has been obtained commercially
from a balanced chemical process involving ethylene
direct chlorination, oxy-chlorination and thermal
cracking of ethylene dichloride (EDC) from ethylene
and chlorine. Hydrogen chloride (HCl), a by-product
of the cracking process, is then used in an oxy-chlorination
reaction along with oxygen and ethylene to produce
more EDC.
More recently, VCM has also been produced on a semi-commercial
basis directly from ethane in a process known as ‘ethane-to-VCM’
which promises to reduce PVC industry dependence on
ethylene, petrochemicals and EDC.
Demand for VCM continues to grow on the back of rising
PVC demand in SE Asia and N America which represents
the largest consumer, accounting for 35% of global
annual demand.
In the 1970s, a scientific link was discovered between
prolonged, high-level exposure to VCM among PVC production
workers and a rare form of liver cancer, forcing radical
changes to VCM technology and manufacturing processes
and the introduction of strict operating standards
and environmental regulations.
Recently, member of the European Council of Vinyl
Manufacturers (ECVM) signed-up to a voluntary code
of practise governing plant emissions of VCM and EDC
that will require enhancement of existing pollution
abatement measures such as catalytic incineration
which has been operating very successfully and economically
on a VCM plant in Spain for the six years. Please
click
here for VCM case study.
For enquiries relating to our Halocat® range
of catalysts designed for VCM plant applications,
please click
here.
HVOC Oxidation Catalysts for Brominated Streams
PTA (Purified Terepthalic Acid) is a key component
of polyester fibre, used in the textile industry,
and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the polyester
resin used to make plastic fizzy drink bottles. It
is also used in polyester films and various engineering
resins and binders.
During the 1990s, PET became the material of choice
for blow-moulded bottles, replacing glass, PVC and
aluminium owing to its lower cost, lighter weight,
excellent clarity and high mechanical strength.
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Textile Manufacture |
Plastic Packaging |
The rising market share of PET, particularly in packaging,
is largely due to a more liberal approach to licensing
policy by chemical giants BP (Amoco), Koch Industries
(ICI-Dupont-Invista), Mitsubishi Chemical, Mitsui
Chemicals and Voridian (Eastman Chemical) coupled
with improvements in PTA manufacturing technology
that have seen a steady displacement of DMT (dimethyl
terephthalate) as the intermediate of choice in the
integrated polyester chain.
Demand for these performance polymers is booming,
especially in the Far East where PTA consumption continues
to outstrip demand. This is particularly so in China
where massive investment in local manufacturing capability
will see domestic PTA production capacity double to
around 10-15 million metric tons per year before the
end of the decade. Despite this unprecedented expansion,
China’s is likely to remain an importer throughout
this period.
Johnson Matthey’s involvement in the PTA industry
dates back to the early 1990s when its Halocat®
oxidation catalyst technology was first employed to
control emissions of HVOC methyl bromide, benzene
and CO from the halogenated process streams in the
various PTA manufacturing processes licensed and operated
worldwide.
Working in close collaboration with the world’s
leading PTA process licensors and their preferred
engineering partners, Johnson Matthey has established
unrivalled experience in the development and supply
of new and replacement emission control catalyst technology
for such brominated gas streams. Please click
here for a list of reference PTA plant applications.
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Catalytic
Combuster Unit undergoing installation at PTA
plant in Pakistan |
For enquiries relating to our Halocat® range
of catalysts designed for PTA plant applications,
please click
here.
HVOC Oxidation Catalysts for Soil & Groundwater
Remediation
The use of catalytic incineration techniques to
remove halogenated and non-halogentated volatile organic
compounds (HVOC/VOC) from hazardous waste sites can
provide a practical and economic alternative to traditional
remedial alternatives involving excavation and removal
of contaminated soil to a designated landfill site.
In-situ treatment techniques, such as soil vapour
extraction (SVE), are known to reduce significantly
the volume, toxicity and mobility of hazardous substances
and offer a commercially viable alternative to land
disposal, an activity which is now being closely monitored,
increasingly regulated and, in some cases, prohibited
altogether.
Johnson Matthey Halocat® oxidation catalyst technology
is specially designed to achieve destruction efficiencies
of up to 99% for HVOC/VOC stripped from soils and/or
groundwater at hazardous sites and can be incorporated
into any of the following, well-established SVE techniques:
- Vacuum extraction and stream stripping processes
- Sparging (air stripping processes)
- Low temperature thermal desorption (LTTD) using
a mobile rotary kiln system
Please click
here for examples of Johnson Matthey catalysts used
in soil remediation.
For enquiries relating to our Halocat® range
of catalysts designed for soil remediation applications,
please click
here.
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