German chemical and biotech giant BASF has launched a new dehydration catalyst to process renewable feedstocks, the company announced.
The star-shaped catalyst achieves a 99.5% selectivity for the ethanol-to-ethylene (E2E) conversion, according to BASF.
With an operating temperature more than 25°C lower than conventional processes, the CircleStar catalyst helped to decrease the carbon footprint in the bio-ethylene value chain by more than 10% for products ranging from jet fuel to plastics, the company said on 29 September.
The catalyst’s shape increased the active geometrical surface area for the reaction, BASF said, leading to improved mass transfer and a longer catalyst lifetime due to the lower operating temperature and pressure-drop profile.
“CircleStar for the bio-ethanol to bio-ethylene conversion… helps increase… production efficiency while reducing carbon emissions and supporting… net zero targets,” BASF senior vice president (Process Catalysts) Detlef Ruff said.
While the company’s current ethylene was 99% fossil-based, the E2E catalyst offered the possibility to make the ethylene and its downstream value chain bio-based, BASF said.
