Oleochemical

Oleochemical Catalysts

The world of chemical raw materials is steadily shifting away from petroleum to oils and fats. BASF is dedicated to make the change, we are here to drive the industry forward. For more than 50 years, we have been a leading global supplier of catalysts for oleochemical applications and their technologies.

Catalyst offer for Oleochemicals

Why BASF?

Companies are constantly under pressure to meet challenging quality, environmental and governmental standards. By delivering solutions tailored to the specific needs in a company’s markets, BASF helps them gain a competitive advantage. With the knowledgeable and imaginative minds of more than 650 research scientists and engineers for various catalyst technologies, we create working solutions, improve efficiency and deliver superior performance for your oleochemical process.

The perfect solution for your industry needs

BASF provides catalysts for an array of renewable feedstock processing technologies including powders and droplets for slurry phase reactors as well as tablets and extrudates for fixed bed applications.

Glycerin to Propylene Glycol

Looking for options to upgrade your glycerin business? Do you want to improve your value chain carbon footprint and develop into a bio refinery?

The oversupply of glycerin derived from production of biodiesel or fatty alcohols resulted in significant decrease in prices and made glycerin a low-price commodity limiting the outlets and margins for glycerin producers. bio propylene glycol as a new outlet for glycerin is an attractive bulk chemical in a fast-growing market and offers multiple benefits to producers and has applications in many different industries, such as urethanes, polyester resins, food and beverage processing and deicing/antifreeze agent.

Bio propylene glycol represents an attractive alternative to conventionally produced propylene glycol from glycerin which does not rely on petroleum as raw material and offers an environmental advantage.

BASF teamed-up with Air Liquide Engineering & Construction, a market leader providing superior technology solutions for the world’s oleochemicals producers, to license the commercially proven BASF technology for hydrogenolysis of glycerol to bio propylene glycol. Glycerin is hydrogenated at very high conversion and selectivity in liquid phase with a proprietary BASF copper catalyst. The conversion to bio propylene glycol is taking place in two serial fixed bed reactors and at temperatures between 175 to 195 °C and at a pressure of 75 or 200 bar. The crude product is then further purified downstream in a two-column distillation to produce propylene glycol with a technical grade of more than 99.5% purity. Pharma grade bio propylene glycol is possible to produce depending on feedstock quality.

The technology for production of bio propylene glycol is commercially proven and successfully operating since 2012.

Fatty Alcohols

Natural source fatty alcohols are produced from plant sources such as palm and coconut trees, using triglyceride oil raw materials. In a series of processing steps, the oils are converted into fatty esters which are catalytically hydrogenated into fatty alcohols. BASF provides a comprehensive product line of copper- and nickel-based catalysts for the fatty alcohol processes.

BASF offers proprietary Cu and Ni fixed bed catalysts for fatty alcohol production in liquid phase with proven track record for reliable operation at multiple plants. Catalysts of choice for the core hydrogenation step are tailored Cu-based fixed bed catalysts while Ni fixed bed catalysts are preferred in the downstream section for the conversion of carbonyls. Catalysts are available in extrudate or tablet form. The extrudates offer lower density for lower cost-of-fill and better mass transfer properties, while tablets offer better physical integrity.

Ni and Cu catalysts are available unreduced (requires activation at user site) or pre-reduced under optimal conditions at BASF and stored in alcohol for quicker start-up and shorter turnaround times.

BASF also provide commerical proven catalyst which can be used for unsatruated fatty alcohol.

Feel free to contact BASF for more details.

Unsaturated Fatty Alcohol

Unsaturated fatty alcohols are highly specialized active surfactants because of the high reactivity of the double bond and its convenient characteristic to add other molecules to the alcohol or even to produce a branched high molecular weight alcohol which is based on renewable material.

BASF offers as well highly specialized Zinc-based fixed-bed catalysts for the production of unsaturated fatty alcohols from fatty

acids. The unique selectivity of BASF’s catalyst allows to hydrogenate the carbonyl group to an alcohol while maintaining a high

selectivity towards the double bond product.

Fatty Nitriles and Fatty Amines

Production of fatty nitriles and fatty amines from renewable resources represents an attractive pathway to highly specialized chemicals for a broad variety of applications. BASF offerings cover the whole value chain from the animal fat and vegetable oil to the fatty amine, either via the fatty nitrile or fatty alcohol route. The field of amines is very complex, and our catalyst makes the difference when you are influencing your selectivity to primary, secondary or tertiary amine and if you want to saturate them or rather leave them unsaturated. BASF's portfolio helps you to steer your process in the desired direction. BASF is the one-stop shop for all fatty amine applications.

Our Promise: Highest Quality and Service

With its exceptional meticulous manufacturing process, BASF provides catalysts in superior quality. Essential properties are well controlled such as particle size, porosity, acidity level, moisture content, surface area, on exchange capacity, metal content, crush strength, bulk density and promoter addition.

To guarantee the highest quality; all products are manufactured at sites with ISO 9001 certification. In addition, our adsorbent bleaching clays are FEDIOL compliant and nickel hydrogenation catalysts are “Non-Animal Protein” and IFS certified. Kosher and Halal certificates are available for all products upon request.

BASF’s advanced oleochemical catalysts are backed by the best technical support in the industry. Next to expert consulting and recommendation, we provide samples, on-side support and analysis service for spent catalysts as well as custom catalyst capabilities and joint collaboration.