Research Leads to Improved Catalysts, Greater Profits for the Chemical Industry, says Technical Insights

    NEW YORK--July 9, 2001--Catalysts comprise an integral segment of the chemical industry that is both diverse and global in scope.
    Different catalysts are essential for the manufacturing of more than 90 percent of the chemicals produced today.
    New analysis by Technical Insights, a business unit of Frost & Sullivan (www.technical-insights.frost.com),"Advanced Catalysts," reveals that a better understanding of this technology is leading to more advanced designs.
    "In the past, trial and error has been the method to develop new catalysts," says Technical Insights Analyst Miriam Nagel. "Designing new catalysts now starts at the computer with molecular modeling, then lab trials are performed on a more select array of possibilities."
    There is strong economic motivation for industry participants to develop advanced catalysts because faster reactions usually equate to more profits. Other incentives for improved catalysts involve the creation of new products that would also help companies take advantage of important market opportunities.
    Applications for catalysts fall into three general categories: petroleum refining, petrochemicals, chemicals and emissions control. Catalyst research has been a frontier area in chemical process industries for nearly two centuries. It has been at the forefront of research and development in chemical industries to meet the demands of progress and has alleviated shortages twice during major wars. The growth of the automobile industry has created a demand for emissions control, a newer area of research that is now a driving force in the catalyst industry.
    The catalyst industry is complex and technology-based, and it depends upon several interrelated entities including research and development, process development and licensing, manufacture, engineering and construction in pilot and scale-up and technical services. It serves four major markets: petroleum refining, chemicals, polymers and environmental industries.
    Frost & Sullivan is a global leader in international strategic market consulting and training. Recently acquired by Frost & Sullivan, Technical Insights is an international technology research business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters and reports. The ongoing research on advanced catalysts is covered in High Tech Materials, a Technical Insights Subscription Service and in U.S. Enzymes for Food Applications Markets, a Frost & Sullivan market analysis report. Executive summaries and interviews are available to the press.

    Advanced Catalysts

    Report: D222