F O C U S O N
particularly interesting came from
Intercat Inc, USA; the company has
an on-line system for real-time
monitoring of the circulating catalyst in
a fluid catalytic cracker which enables
it to optimize the catalyst mixture. A
paper from the Heyrovsky Institute of
Physical Chemistry in Prague and
Chevron in Richmond reviewed novel
zeolites many of which were new to
me for aromatic transformations.
Alan E Comyns
1 Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 5
Nov 2008, 47 (21)
2 Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research,
15 Oct 2007, 47(20), 7600
3 Chemistry and Industry, Nov 2008, (22), 19
4 18th Annual Saudi-Japanese Symposium on
Catalysts in Petroleum Refining and
Petrochemicals, 16-17 Nov 2008, Dahran, Saudi
Arabia. Summary available on request from Dr A
M Aitani (E-mail: maitani@kfupm.edu.sa)
MARKETS AND
BUSINESS
The US industrial enzymes markets
(Ref: N2C1)
Attracted by the cost and process
benefits and superior product
performance of enzymes,
manufacturers of paper and pulp,
textile, leather, detergents,
wastewater treatment chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, and bioethanol
increasingly replace harsh chemicals
with industrial enzymes. These
enzyme producers will have to offer
superior and innovative products to
sustain this pace of demand. They will
need to draw upon technological
breakthroughs in various segments to
lure reluctant users toward enzyme
technologies and thereby tap the
huge latent potential of the market.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan,
The US Industrial Enzymes Markets,
finds the market earned revenues of
$394.1 M in 2006 and estimates this
to reach $748.9 M in 2013.
Manufacturers are unable to make
equal investments in each segment.
For instance, while bioethanol and
pharmaceuticals obtain significant
funding, paper and pulp and
wastewater treatment segments have
to make do with much less. This
greatly hampers product development
activities in the overall market. The
2 JANUARY 2009
C ATA LY S T S
prospects of the industrial enzymes
market appear bright as its mainstay
application segment. Bioethanol will
grow intensely with the passing of the
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) bill
by the Department of Energy (DOE).
According to the bill, by 2015
bioethanol production should reach
15 bn gals, and this augurs well for
the bioethanol enzyme segment. The
actual potential of paper and pulp
enzymes is at least five times larger
than the present market size. The
major challenge in this segment is the
understanding of chemistry of
enzymes on different woods. Apart
from this, a typical chemical supplier
generates huge revenues and could
easily afford to deploy sufficient
manpower to handle customers
better. The lack of sufficient revenue
and expertise in other chemicals
prevents enzyme manufacturers from
deploying manpower exclusively for
handling customers and hinders the
development of new products. The
market shift toward developing
nations such as India and China,
reluctance of customers to modify
their process to include enzymes, bio-
sensitization properties of enzymes
on humans, and market maturity in
certain segments are curtailing the
market from achieving its true
potential. Market participants,
however, can still score over chemical
companies by promoting their
products Green-tag positioning with
respect to their ability to reduce
consumption of chemicals, as well as
energy. This can lower waste
generated by the products.
Press release from: Frost & Sullivan. Website:
http://www.chemicals.frost.com. E-mail:
jhaynes_pr@frost.com (16 Jun 2008)
Biokerosene takes off in aviation
sector
On 3 Dec 2008, a Boeing 747-400
belonging to Air New Zealand, lifted
off from Auckland, New Zealand on a
2-hour test flight. The flight was a
pioneering one, as one of the planes
4 engines ran on a 50:50 mix of
kerosene and biodiesel. In Feb 2008
a Virgin Atlantic 747 flew a test flight
between London and Amsterdam
using a first generation 20% biofuel
mix (using a product derived from
coconut and babassu oil). The Air
New Zealand flight used a second
generation biofuel, derived from
jatropha oil (a non-foodstuff). The fuel
was developed by UOP, using a
hydrotreatment-based process. Using
jatropha resulted in a biokerosene
with properties equal to or better than
those of the standard kerosene used
by commercial planes (such as a
-47C solidification point and a 38C
clear point).
Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 18 Nov 2008, (444), 1 (in
French)
Chewing the fat: hydrogenation
technology-based biodiesel faces
challenge in the USA
A new form of renewable biodiesel,
which is produced from animal or
vegetable fats using the hydro-
genation process, is facing a tough
challenge in the USA. The process
was developed by ConocoPhillips,
Neste Oil, Petrobras, BP, and UOP, as
well as synthetic fuels producer
Syntroleum. There are two types of
hydrogenation technology: the co-
processing technology used in oil
refineries, and the stand-alone
technology used in facilities specifically
built to produce the new fuels. The
controversy regarding the new fuels
centres on whether producers using
the co-processing technology are
entitled to the same $1/gallon tax
credit given to biodiesel firms using the
transesterification process. The issue
led ConocoPhillips, Tyson Foods, and
the meat industry to square off against
biodiesel producers. In Apr 2007, the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled
that co-processing is also entitled to
tax credit. The National Biodiesel
Board (NBB) has been contesting the
ruling of the IRS, maintaining that the
tax credit is tantamount to a subsidy
for current refining capacity. The issue
has been settled by a provision under
the Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act of 2008, more
popularly known as the bailout bill,
which cuts the tax credit for
renewable fuels based on co-
processing technology to 50
cents/gallon. However, ConocoPhillips
has deemed that the credit is not
sufficient to proceed with its planned
biofuels project with Tyson. Despite
the obstacles, Tyson and Syntroleum
have created a biodiesel jv called
Dynamic Fuels. The jv has already
begun construction work on a $138 M