Researchers at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, in collaboration with Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Company in Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province, have designed and produced a more efficient catalyst for hydrogen purification, which is used in clean fuel production, the project’s manager said.
“By using a mixture of metal oxides, we improved the quality of catalysts, which is cheaper than their foreign counterparts,” IRNA also quoted Farhad Keyvani-Mehr as saying.
The catalyst can be used in the production of pyrolysis gasoline, naphtha and mazut, he added.
Keyvani-Mehr, who is also a researcher, noted that crude oil and petroleum derivatives, such as the above-mentioned products, contain impurities like sulfur, nitrogenous and oxygenated compounds, as well as metals, that cause environmental problems.
“In the refining and petrochemical industries, a catalytic process called hydrogen purification is used to separate these impurities,” he said.
“Air pollution is a serious issue in Iran, too. Due to the formation of SOx and NOx compounds, pollutants in the fuel used in power plants and cars are the main cause of air pollution in the country.”
Keyvani-Mehr stressed that when these pollutants enter the atmosphere, they interact with humidity and return to the earth's surface in the form of acid rain that causes soil erosion and destroys the facades of buildings.
These pollutants reduce products quality and cause operational problems such as corrosion in equipment and pipelines in refinery and petrochemical complexes, as well as problems in car engine performance.
"According to Euro 5 and 6 standards, the amount of sulfur and nitrogen compounds in the fuel of cars and vessels should be limited. Therefore, to achieve global standards, it is necessary to use high quality catalysts in the hydrogen purification process to reduce these compounds and produce cleaner fuel,” Keyvani-Mehr said.
“Catalysts for hydrogen purifications are generally imported. The United States and France are major producers of these catalysts. However, domestic researchers and engineers have gained the technical know-how and can produce the catalyst at one-third of the foreign counterpart’s price.”
Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Company annually produces 350,000 tons of light naphtha. This hydrocarbon liquid is supplied to domestic and foreign markets as the feed for olefin units.
The company also produces 500,000 tons of heavy naphtha that is sold in local and international markets for use in the production of gasoline, kerosene and industrial solvents.
A subsidiary of National Petrochemical Company, Bu Ali Sina Company was launched in 1998 in Mahshahr, Khuzestan. It processes gas condensate as feedstock to produce an estimated 1.75 million tons of aromatic products a year, including benzene, paraxylene, raffinate, heavy and light naphtha, as well as liquid petroleum gas.
The company’s products are supplied to Bandar Imam Khomeini, Shahid Tondguyan, Amir Kabir, Pars and Karun petrochemical companies, and also exported to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
