Clariant and SINOPEC Sign Major Collaboration Agreement to Improve Fuel Quality

Clariant announced that it has signed two important agreements with SINOPEC. The agreements were signed on 27 September 2017 in Beijing by senior executives of the companies. First, the FCAS Series Adsorbent Material Agreement was signed, under which SINOPEC granted Clariant a license for the S-Zorb adsorbent material FCAS series. This agreement will enable Clariant to expand its catalyst product portfolio for low-sulfur commercial gasoline production. The second agreement, signed between Sinopec Catalyst Company (SCC) and Clariant Qatar W.L.L., is an FCC (Fluid Catalytic Cracking) Agency Contract, which makes Clariant Qatar W.L.L. an authorized representative of Sinopec's FCC catalyst for oil refineries in Qatar. FCC naphtha, a primary additive in the gasoline pool, typically contains up to 2,000 ppm of sulfur by weight. Since China V specification requires sulfur concentration to be below 10 ppm by weight, sulfur removal is of great importance. The hydrodesulfurization method, commonly used to remove sulfur from naphtha, requires large amounts of hydrogen and causes research octane number (RON) loss. The S-Zorb process, on the other hand, absorbs all types of sulfur from FCC gasoline while providing high RON retention and high liquid yield. Additionally, this single-stage process requires no recycle streams and significantly reduces hydrogen consumption. Thanks to these properties, S-Zorb has become the most preferred technology in China for upgrading gasoline from China National IV (equivalent to EURO IV) standard to China National V (equivalent to EURO V) standard.

Clariant, as a result of its cooperation with SINOPEC, has supplied next-generation S-Zorb catalyst for low-sulfur gasoline production at more than 25 global units located in China and the US since 2001. This technology and these catalysts consistently demonstrate superior performance in clean energy production and emissions control.

Ma Yongsheng, Senior Vice President of SINOPEC Group, said: "Cooperating with a reputable, innovative and reliable catalyst partner holds a very important place for SINOPEC's fuel quality upgrading technologies. We are pleased to have had successful cooperations with Clariant in the past, including with its predecessor company Süd-Chemie, and we are delighted to continue and further expand this cooperation." Stefan Heuser, Senior Vice President of Clariant and General Manager of the Catalyst Business Unit, expressed satisfaction with the agreements, stating: "We are proud of the successful partnership we have maintained with SINOPEC since 2001, and we are very pleased to have further strengthened our cooperation with these agreements. As a leading supplier of catalysts for fuel quality improvement, we continue to aspire to create value and innovation through sustainability."