Clariant's new Jiaxing plant produces CATOFIN catalyst for propane dehydrogenation (PDH) process
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Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant has increased investment in its catalyst business in China. On September 18, Clariant's Jiaxing catalyst production base officially started construction. This is Clariant’s third catalyst plant in China. The company's two previous catalyst factories in China were located in Panjin, Liaoning and Jinshan, Shanghai. Clariant's new Jiaxing plant will mainly produce CATOFIN catalysts for the propane dehydrogenation (PDH) process. The first phase of the project has a planned production capacity of 4,800 tons and is expected to reach full capacity in 2022. The company also has a plant in the United States that produces CATOFIN catalysts. After the Jiaxing plant is put into operation, Clariant's CATOFIN catalyst production capacity will be doubled.
At the press conference for the base's groundbreaking ceremony held that day, Chen Zhipeng, vice president of Clariant's catalyst business in China, said that China is one of the world's major producers of proprietary propylene. China's proprietary propylene production accounts for about half of global production and is expected to continue growing at an annual rate of 8%. Since 2017, CATOFIN catalysts have been used in 22 dedicated propylene production projects around the world, three-quarters of which are from China. Chen Zhipeng said that the CATOFIN catalyst produced by the Jiaxing Catalyst Factory will focus on meeting the needs of China's propane dehydrogenation market. In the future, Clariant may continue to expand the production capacity of the base and further provide catalyst technology related to China's petrochemical industry.
Clariant is a focused, sustainable and innovative specialty chemicals company headquartered in Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland. At the end of last year, Clariant sold its masterbatch business to Polyone for US$1.56 billion (approximately RMB 10.542 billion). Previously, Clariant also divested its medical packaging business and will continue to spin off its pigments business according to announced plans. On September 18, Clariant's Global Vice President and China President Andy Walti said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Jiemian News that divesting the company's non-core businesses will make the company smaller, but focusing on core businesses with better performance growth, such as catalysts, can make the company develop faster and stronger. Wang Anting said that the proceeds from the divestiture of non-core businesses will be used to invest in innovation and technology applications in core business areas. According to Clariant’s plan, catalysts, care chemicals and natural resources will be the company’s three core business segments for future development.