Jun 15 2016
Albemarle Corporation announced today that it and technology partner CB&I are recipients of the 2016 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the American Chemical Society.
The award, which recognizes innovators on a national level for successfully researching, developing and implementing outstanding green chemical technologies, is in recognition of the breakthrough AlkyClean® process technology, jointly developed by Albemarle, CB&I and Neste Oil for exclusive use with Albemarle's zeolite-based AlkyStar™ catalyst. The world's first solid acid catalyst alkylation unit to use the catalyst was successfully started up in in Shandong, China, in August 2015.
"Albemarle has been working side-by-side with our technology partners for several years to develop a commercially viable and safe option to produce high-quality alkylate without the use of liquid acid catalysts," said Silvio Ghyoot, president of Albemarle's Refining Solutions global business unit. "We are honored by this prestigious award and recognition of the unique AlkyClean technology for its potential as a game-changing technology for our refining customers."
Albemarle's AlkyStar catalyst, together with CB&I's novel reactor scheme, produces high-quality alkylates, a clean fuels blending component, without the use of liquid acid catalysts in the alkylate manufacturing process. Not only is AlkyClean technology inherently safer when compared to technologies employing liquid acids, there are also environmental benefits due to the reduction of waste streams such as spent acids and acid-soluble oils.
Albemarle and CB&I, along with all other award recipients, were formally recognized on June 13 at the 2016 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, Or.