How many globally renowned oil and petrochemical catalyst companies do you know?

2. Albemarle (American Specialty Chemicals – Albemarle Corporation): In 1887, the Albemarle Paper Company was established in Richmond, Virginia, United States. In 2004, it acquired AkzoNobel’s refining catalyst business, thus entering the field of refining catalysts officially; these catalysts, together with polyolefin catalysts, formed the Catalysts Business Unit ； Become the world’s second-largest producer of FCC catalysts. Currently, there are over 20 manufacturing plants in North America, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Japan, and China. Yabao Corporation has 8 R&D centers in 5 locations, and sales offices in over 40 locations ； Its business covers areas such as daily necessities, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, the automotive industry, construction, and packaging materials; it is the world’s largest producer of bromine-based flame retardants. The main business areas include polymer additives, catalysts, and fine chemicals. There are mainly 4 types of polymer additives: flame retardants, antioxidants, curing agents, and stabilizers ； The catalyst business is divided into three main categories: refining catalysts, polyolefin catalysts, and chemical catalysts ； Composition of the fine chemicals business: functional chemicals (coatings, alumina), fine chemicals (bromine-based chemicals, oilfield chemicals), and intermediates (pharmaceuticals, pesticides). Among Yabao Company’s three main business segments, polymer additives used to generate the highest annual sales revenue, followed by catalysts; fine chemicals accounted for the lowest sales revenue. However, in the past two years, the annual sales revenue from the catalysts business has been increasing gradually, and since 2008 it has surpassed that of the polymer additives business. The catalyst business is Yabao Company’s main business segment. Yabao is the world’s second-largest supplier of hydroprocessing catalysts (holding 30% of the global market share) and one of the top three suppliers of catalytic cracking catalysts worldwide. 3. Dow Chemicals: Dow Chemicals is a diversified chemical company headquartered in Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1897 by Herbert Henry Dow ； With 37** operating 214 production bases, it offers over 5,000 products that are widely used in more than 10 sectors including automotive, building materials, electrical engineering, and pharmaceuticals ； In 2009, Dow ranked 127th on the Fortune Global 500 list and 34th on the Fortune America’s 500 list ； In terms of total assets, it is the world’s second-largest chemical company, second only to the American company DuPont ； In terms of annual revenue, it is also the world’s second-largest chemical company, second only to Germany’s BASF ； With over 46,000 employees worldwide ； It is divided into 7 business segments by product type: functional plastics, functional chemicals, agricultural science, plastics, basic chemicals, hydrocarbons and energy, and venture capital. The catalyst business falls under the functional chemicals segment. Dow Chemical’s catalysts include: NORMAX™ carbonylation catalysts ； METEOR™ Catalyst for Ethylene Oxide/Ethylene Glycol ； SHAC™ and SHAC™ ADT polypropylene catalysts ； DOWEX™ QCAT™ Bisphenol A catalyst ； It is a global leader in the production of polypropylene catalysts.

4. ExxonMobil – ExxonMobil is the world’s largest oil company, with its headquarters located in Texas, United States. The company’s predecessors were Exxon and Mobil, which merged and reorganized on November 30, 1999. The company is also the parent company of the global subsidiaries of Exxon, Mobil, and Esso. Founded in 1882, Exxon is the largest oil company in the United States and one of the seven largest and oldest oil companies in the world ； ExxonMobil was founded in 1882 and is a comprehensive multinational company that engages in exploration and production, refining, as well as petrochemicals. Exxon and Mobil have their upstream headquarters in Houston, their downstream headquarters in Fairfax, with their corporate headquarters located in Irving, Texas. Exxon holds 70% of the shares in the company, while Mobil holds 30%. Currently, ExxonMobil operates in approximately 200 countries and regions around the world through its affiliates, and has over 80,000 employees. ExxonMobil’s main products include oil and gas, petroleum products, and petrochemicals. It is the world’s largest producer of olefin monomers and polyolefins, with products such as ethylene, propylene, polyethylene, and polypropylene ； The catalyst business is part of ExxonMobil Chemical. ExxonMobil Chemical is further divided into four business units: polymers, polymer films, chemical products, and technology; catalysts fall under the technology unit. UNIVATION, a joint venture formed by ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical (with each holding 50% stake), owns the UNIPOL™ polyethylene production technology as well as polyolefin catalysts under brands such as UCAT™ and XCAT™. 5. UOP (Universal Oil Products Company): Founded in 1914 and headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, Universal Oil Products Company is a global company. On November 30, 2005, UOP became a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell, as part of Honeywell’s strategic business in specialty materials. UOP’s business is divided into eight segments: renewable energy and chemicals, adsorbents, specialty and custom products, petroleum refining, aromatics and derivatives, linear alkylbenzenes and advanced olefins, light olefins and equipment, and natural gas processing. Targeting the oil refining, petrochemical, and natural gas processing industries, UOP offers design, engineering, consulting services, licensing and support, process technologies, as well as the production of catalysts, molecular sieves, adsorbents, and specialized equipment; it provides 65 different technology licenses. UOP is the world’s largest supplier of zeolites and aluminophosphate molecular sieves. It offers over 150 types of molecular sieve products used for dehydrating refinery gases and liquid materials, removing trace impurities, and separating products. The annual production capacity of molecular sieves reaches 70,000 tons. In the field of molecular sieve adsorbents, UOP holds 70% of the global market share. UOP is also the world’s largest producer of alumina, with products including pseudo-boehmite alumina, β-alumina, γ-alumina, and α-alumina, as well as active alumina and aluminum/silicon-aluminum spherical carriers. UOP holds over 9,000 patents worldwide, and nearly 4,000 installations have been built using its patents, located in more than 80 countries. 60% of gasoline worldwide is produced using UOP’s technology. Nearly half of the biodegradable biological detergents in the world are produced using UOP technology. Of the 36 main refining processes currently used in the oil industry, 31 were developed by UOP. Currently, UOP manufactures about 100 different catalyst and adsorbent products for its licensed technologies and for other companies; these products are used in petroleum refining processes such as reforming, isomerization, hydrocracking, hydrorefining, and oxidative desulfurization, as well as in petrochemical industries for the production of aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene), propylene, butenes, ethylbenzene, styrene, isopropylbenzene, and cyclohexane. UOP’s main catalysts include: catalytic reforming catalysts, C4 isomerization catalysts, C5 and C6 isomerization catalysts, xylene isomerization catalysts; hydrocracking catalysts, which are divided into two types—hydrocracking and mild hydrocracking; hydrotreating catalysts; oil desulfurization agents; sulfur recovery catalysts; tail gas conversion catalysts; and other petroleum refining adsorbents.

6. ART (Advanced Refining Technologies, Inc.) Advanced Refining Technologies, Inc. was established in 2001 as a joint venture between Chevron Oil Products and Grace-Davison, with each party holding 50% of the shares. The original intention behind establishing ART was to combine the technical strengths of Grace and Chevron in order to develop and sell hydrogenation catalysts for the global refining industry; it is now the world’s largest producer of hydrogenation catalysts, supplying over 50% of the world’s demand for such catalysts. . ART conducts business such as promoting its products and services through the global sales divisions and offices of Grace and Chevron. ART Company has 4 catalyst production plants and 1 catalyst research center. ART Company produces catalysts for hydrocracking, mild hydrocracking, isomerization dewaxing, isomerization reforming, and hydrofinishing. The main catalyst types include: Isodewaxing Isocracking®, Isomerization Reforming Isofinishing®, hydrocracking, mild hydrocracking, hydrofinishing, hydrotreating, and residue hydrotreating. 7. Univation Company: Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Univation is a 50:50 joint venture between ExxonMobil Chemical and Dow Chemical. Univation specializes in the licensing of UNIPOL™ gas-phase polyethylene technology and catalysts, and is a world-leading technology licensor as well as a global supplier of catalysts for the polyethylene industry. It is the world’s second-largest manufacturer and supplier of polyethylene catalysts, accounting for 30% of the global market. The company’s catalyst production takes place at its Mont Belvieu, Seadrift, and Freeport plants in Texas. Univation’s polyethylene production process is named UNIPOL™. It is currently available in 25 countries around the world, with over 100 polyethylene production lines using this UNIPOL™ process already in operation or under construction, accounting for more than 25% of the global total ； The main catalysts include: 1) UCAT™ chromium catalyst and Ziegler-Natta catalyst ； 2) XCAT™ metallocene catalyst, trade name EXXPOL ； 3) PRODIGY™ bimodal catalyst ； 4) UT™ deoxidation catalyst.

10. Süd-Chemie (German Southern Chemical Company): Founded in 1857, Süd-Chemie is a highly innovative multinational specialty chemicals company with a history of over 150 years; its headquarters are located in Munich, Germany. Southern Chemical Company has a total of 77 subsidiaries, directly or indirectly owned, including 5 in Germany and 72 abroad. These subsidiaries fall under the two business units dedicated to adsorbents and catalysts, and they provide high-performance catalysts, adsorbents, and additive products and solutions for industries such as petrochemicals, food processing, consumer goods, casting, water treatment, and environmental protection. Southern Chemical Company’s catalyst business falls under the Catalyst Division. This division consists of two departments: Catalyst Technology and Energy and Environment. The Catalyst Technology division is divided into four global business groups: chemical reaction catalysts, petrochemical catalysts, refining catalysts, and polymerization catalysts. The catalyst types produced by Southern Chemical mainly include: raw material purification catalysts, petrochemical catalysts, chemical industry catalysts, oil refining catalysts, olefin polymerization catalysts, air purification catalysts, and fuel cell catalysts. 11. Axens Axens was established on June 30, 2001, as a result of the merger of the technology transfer department of the French Institute of Petroleum (Institut Français du Pétrole, or IFP) and the Procatalyse company, which specializes in catalysts and additives ； Axens is an independent entity that leverages the nearly 70 years of research and development experience and industrial achievements of the French Petroleum Institute to provide process licensing, plant design, and related services, as well as products (catalysts and adsorbents) for refining, petrochemical, and gas production ； Axens’ catalysts and adsorbents are primarily targeted at the North American and European markets. The company offers a comprehensive range of catalysts, including guard bed catalysts, graded materials, hydrotreating catalysts for distillate oil and residual oil, hydrocracking catalysts, sulfur recovery catalysts (Claus catalysts), tail gas treatment catalysts, hydrogenation catalysts (catalysts for hydrogenation, Prime-G+ process, and selective hydrogenation), reforming and isomerization catalysts (reforming catalysts and isomerization catalysts), special-purpose catalysts for biofuels, Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, olefin dimerization catalysts, etc. It also provides adsorbents; in total, there are over 150 different varieties available.

14. Haldor Topsoe (Danish company Haldor Topsoe A/S). The company was founded by Dr. Haldor Topsoe in 1940; it currently has around 1,700 employees； Its headquarters, central research laboratory, and engineering center are all located near Copenhagen, Denmark ； The company is committed to the research, development, and sales of various catalysts. It also engages in the transfer of patented technologies as well as the engineering and construction of catalytic towers ； Topso Company primarily produces synthetic ammonia catalysts, raw material purification catalysts, automotive catalysts, CO conversion catalysts, combustion catalysts, dimethyl ether catalysts (DME), denitration catalysts (DeNOx), methanation catalysts, methanol catalysts, refining catalysts, steam reforming catalysts, sulfuric acid catalysts, and wet sulfuric acid (WSA) catalysts. Topso’s refining catalysts mainly include three types: hydroprocessing catalysts, hydrocracking catalysts, and pressure drop control catalysts. Among them, hydrogenation catalysts can be further classified according to their application into those used for naphtha hydrogenation, refinery hydrogenation, hydrogenation of low-sulfur and ultra-low-sulfur diesel, and catalysts for FCC pretreatment; the company offers 44 types of refinery catalysts ； Topso has two catalyst production plants in Denmark and the United States, with a total of 24 production lines. 15. INOES (Ineos Group): Established in 1998, Ineos Group is the fourth-largest chemical company in the world. It is a global producer of petrochemical products, specialty chemicals, and petroleum products, with its headquarters located in Southampton, UK ； Ineos Group began to grow since the late 1990s, strengthening its position by acquiring the non-core assets of other companies, thereby emerging as one of the leading players in the global chemical industry ； Ineos Group’s business scope includes petrochemical products, specialty chemicals, and petroleum products. Products such as ABS, HFCs, phenol, propylene, melamine, acrylonitrile, acetonitrile, and polystyrene hold leading positions in the global market. Meanwhile, products like PVC, sulfur-based chemicals, VAM, PVC compounds, linear alpha-olefins, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde and its derivatives, ethylene, polyethylene, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and commercial fuel oils lead the market in Europe. In 2005, Ineos acquired Innovene from BP, entering the field of catalyst production and sales ； The company’s catalyst business is part of Ineos Technologies, and it primarily provides polyolefin catalysts, acrylonitrile catalysts, maleic anhydride catalysts, vinyl catalysts, as well as related technical solutions ； Polyolefin catalysts have been in use for over 30 years, providing catalysts, technical services, and support for plants producing more than 7.7 million tons of Innovene™ PE and 3.3 million tons of Innovene™ PP.

16. Mitsui Chemicals: Established in 1997, Mitsui Chemicals is Japan’s second-largest integrated chemical company after Mitsubishi Chemical Company. It is one of the world’s leading producers of phenol, isopropanol, polyethylene, and polypropylene products, with its headquarters located in Tokyo, Japan； Mitsui Chemicals is a manufacturer of chemicals, specialty materials, and related products. Currently, the business is divided into three business units: functional materials, advanced chemicals, and basic chemicals. Its catalyst business falls under the Advanced Chemicals Business Division ； Its catalysts include olefin polymerization catalysts, molecular catalysts, heterogeneous catalysts, alkyl anthraquinone catalysts, etc. 17. JGC C&C (JGC Catalysts & Chemicals). JGC Catalysts & Chemicals, also known as JGC Catalyst and Chemicals Co., Ltd., was established on July 1, 2008. It resulted from the merger of the operations and resources of two wholly owned subsidiaries of Japan’s JGC CORP—namely, Japan Catalysts & Chemicals Inc. (CCIC) and Nippon Catalyst Chemical Co., Ltd. (NCC). Its headquarters is located in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan ； CCIC was established on July 21, 1958, with its headquarters in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is mainly engaged in the production of catalysts, with a focus on catalysts for petroleum refining. Its products include FCC catalysts, hydrogenation catalysts, DeNox catalysts, as well as fine chemical products (ingredients for cosmetics, optical materials, liquid crystal materials and various types of displays, semiconductor materials, etc.). NCC was established on August 18, 1952, with its headquarters in Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It primarily develops, produces, and sells chemical catalysts, with products including hydrogenation catalysts, dehydrogenation catalysts, solid alkali catalysts, and adsorbents for gas purification ； Cathode materials for rechargeable batteries and catalysts for environmental purification. The company is divided into three business units based on its products: catalysts, fine chemicals, and environment/new energy ； The catalysts produced and sold by the company include catalysts for oil refining, catalysts for petrochemical processing, and catalysts for environmental protection. Refining catalysts mainly include FCC catalysts and catalysts for hydrogenation processes, the latter of which comprise hydrofining, hydrotreating, and hydrocracking catalysts ； Chemical catalysts include catalysts for the petrochemical industry, hydrogenation catalysts, syngas conversion catalysts, as well as catalyst carriers and zeolites ； Catalysts for environmental protection include: environment-related products, flue gas denitration catalysts, oxidation catalysts and materials for vehicle exhaust treatment, deodorization/antibacterial materials, VOC adsorption/decomposition catalysts, etc. The company’s denitration catalysts hold 80% of the European market share and 70% of the U.S. market share, accounting for over 60% of all catalysts used for denitration in power plants worldwide.

18. Sinopec Catalyst Co., Ltd. Sinopec Catalyst Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinopec Corporation. It is the entity responsible for the production, sales, and management of catalysts at Sinopec, in charge of investing in and operating Sinopec’s catalyst business, as well as providing professional management for the catalyst production units under the corporation. Sinopec Catalyst Co., Ltd. is one of the largest producers, suppliers, and service providers of refining and petrochemical catalysts in the world. Backed by domestic research institutions with strong capabilities in the field of petrochemistry, such as the Petroleum Chemical Research Institute and Fushun Petroleum Chemical Research Institute, the company continues to expand its market presence both domestically and globally. Catalyst products fall into 6 major categories, including refinery catalysts, polyolefin catalysts, catalysts for basic organic raw materials, coal chemical industry catalysts, environmental protection catalysts, and other catalysts. While meeting domestic market demands, the products are also exported to international markets such as Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The production bases are mainly located in six provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hunan, Shandong, Liaoning, and Jiangsu. The products cover three categories of catalysts: those used in oil refining, the chemical industry, and basic organic materials. It has 8 wholly-owned subsidiaries, 2 holding companies, 1 entrusted management entity, 4 domestic sales and service centers, and 4 overseas representative offices.

Southern Chemical was acquired by Clain, and Univation is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow

The 3.25 million-ton boiling bed coal tar hydrogenation stabilization catalyst used in Shenhua Ordos’s million-ton coal direct liquefaction plant is an Axens catalyst.