Chemical process catalysts: Feedstocks
How nickel, silver and platinum end up inside reactors
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Process catalysts consume metals in modest tonnages: nickel for reforming and hydrogenation, copper and zinc for methanol, silver for ethylene oxide, vanadium and caesium for sulphuric acid, PGMs for nitric acid and fine chemicals. Precious metal is usually owned by the customer, so suppliers carry little metal price risk.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ni Nickel | about 10-20% in reforming catalysts (indicative) | active metal | not published | indicative |
| Ag Silver | about 15-35% of EO catalyst (indicative) | ethylene epoxidation | dominant for EO catalyst | indicative |
| Pt Platinum | chemical uses about 5% of EU platinum and 6% of rhodium demand | nitric acid gauzes, hydrogenation, oxo | metal leased | platinum and rhodium tiles |
| Cu Copper | about 50-60% CuO in methanol catalysts (indicative) | methanol and low-temperature shift | not published | indicative |
| V Vanadium | about 5-9% (indicative) | sulphuric acid and SCR | not published | indicative |
| Cs Caesium | promoter | lower ignition temperature in acid catalysts | small | USGS MCS 2026 |
Who is low-cost, and why
No public cost curve. Licensors that bundle catalysts with plant design (Topsoe, JM, UOP, Clariant) hold pricing power; Chinese makers compete on price at home.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Ni NickelAg SilverPt PlatinumWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| NH3 Ammonia | iron synthesis and nickel reforming catalysts |
| MeOH Methanol | copper-zinc catalysts |
| EO Ethylene oxide | silver catalysts |
| H2SO4 Sulphuric acid | vanadium catalysts |
| HNO3 Nitric acid | Pt-Rh gauzes and N2O catalysts |
| PP Polypropylene | Ziegler-Natta catalysts |
| LLDPE Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE) | chromium, Ziegler-Natta, metallocene |
| H2 Hydrogen | reforming and shift catalysts |
| eF Low-carbon hydrogen and e-fuels | ammonia and methanol synthesis catalysts for e-fuels |