# Chemical process catalysts: Overview

The hidden catalysts behind ammonia, plastics and acids

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/overview/

What this tab covers What the chemical is, how big its market is, what it is used for (with shares, volumes, why it wins and what could replace it), and its chain from raw material to end user. Ends with three things to remember.

Chemical process catalysts are the solids and complexes that make industrial chemistry fast and selective. Nickel reforms methane to hydrogen, iron makes ammonia, copper-zinc makes methanol, silver makes ethylene oxide, vanadium makes sulphuric acid, platinum-rhodium gauzes make nitric acid, and Ziegler-Natta and metallocene catalysts make polyethylene and polypropylene. The catalyst is a small cost but sets energy use and yield for products worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Topsoe, Clariant, Honeywell (UOP plus the former Johnson Matthey Catalyst Technologies, bought in July 2026) and BASF lead. Their 2025 catalyst sales sum to a few billion dollars.
 Volume not published in tonnes Market value not published; the three listed specialists' catalyst sales were about $2.6 billion in 2025 (Topsoe DKK 6.2 billion, Clariant CHF 0.8 billion, JM Catalyst Technologies catalysts £0.5 billion in FY2025/26, now part of Honeywell; indicative conversion at 2025 average exchange rates); the whole market including polyolefin and precious-metal catalysts is several times larger (indicative) Growth low single digits; Clariant expects flat 2026 sales in local currency; Topsoe raised its 2026 revenue outlook to DKK 8.0-8.5 billion in August 2026 Topsoe 2025 results and 27 Aug 2026 outlook; Clariant FY2025 media release; JM FY2025/26 results presentation

#### Key uses

| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Syngas: hydrogen, ammonia and methanol catalysts** | n/a | not publishedbasis | A world-scale ammonia plant runs a chain of catalysts: desulphurisation (zinc oxide), steam reforming (nickel on alumina), shift (iron-chromium, copper-zinc), methanation (nickel) and synthesis (iron or ruthenium). Methanol uses copper-zinc-alumina. Topsoe, Clariant and JM dominate. Better catalysts lower reformer firing and loop pressure, saving energy on 190 Mt of ammonia a year. ammonia tile; Topsoe 2025 results; Clariant FY2025 (Syngas and Fuels grew) | Electrolytic hydrogen (no reforming catalyst, but new electrolyser catalysts) Coal gasification routes (sour shift catalysts) |
| **Polymerisation catalysts (Ziegler-Natta, chromium, metallocene)** | n/a | not publishedbasis | Titanium-magnesium Ziegler-Natta catalysts make most polypropylene and much polyethylene; chromium catalysts make HDPE; metallocenes make premium films. The catalyst stays in the polymer, so it is a true consumable tied to polyolefin output. indicative | Licensor-supplied catalysts bundled with process (LyondellBasell, Grace, Univation) |
| **Selective oxidation (ethylene oxide, sulphuric acid, maleic anhydride, acrylic acid, nitric acid)** | n/a | not publishedbasis | Silver on alumina turns ethylene into ethylene oxide; each point of selectivity saves ethylene and CO2. Vanadium pentoxide with caesium promoters makes sulphuric acid; caesium lowers ignition temperature and stack SO2 (USGS). Platinum-rhodium gauzes oxidise ammonia to nitric acid. ethylene_oxide tile; USGS MCS 2026 (caesium); nitric_acid tile | Few at scale |
| **Dehydrogenation and hydrogenation** | n/a | not publishedbasis | Propane dehydrogenation to propylene uses chromium (Clariant CATOFIN) or platinum-tin (Honeywell UOP Oleflex). Nickel and palladium catalysts hydrogenate oils, resins and pharmaceutical intermediates. Clariant reported lower propylene catalyst sales in 2025. Clariant FY2025 media release | Steam cracking and FCC for propylene |
| **Oxo and carbonylation (homogeneous rhodium and iridium)** | n/a | about 2 t rhodium a year in chemical catalystsbasis | Rhodium phosphine complexes convert propylene and syngas to butyraldehyde, the route to 2-ethylhexanol for plasticisers; rhodium or iridium make acetic acid from methanol. rhodium tile | Cobalt oxo catalysts (older, less selective) |
| **Stationary emission control (SCR for power plants, N2O abatement)** | n/a | not publishedbasis | Vanadia-titania honeycombs remove NOx from power and industrial flue gas (JM's Cormetech made £12 million operating profit in 2025/26). Secondary catalysts under nitric acid gauzes cut N2O by up to 95%. JM FY2025/26 results; nitric_acid tile | Thermal N2O destruction Non-catalytic NOx reduction |

 No public source splits chemical catalyst demand by application in tonnes or value. Shares left null. Supplier disclosures (Clariant: propylene, ethylene, syngas and fuels, specialties) give direction only.

#### From raw material to user

1. **Metal and support** Nickel, copper, zinc, iron, chromium, vanadium, silver and PGMs on alumina, silica or zeolite supports.
2. **Manufacture** Precipitation, impregnation, tableting or extrusion, then calcination and sometimes pre-reduction.
3. **Licence and first fill** Licensors such as Topsoe, JM, KBR and Honeywell UOP often supply the first catalyst charge with the plant.
4. **Operation and reload** Fixed beds run about 2-10 years before reload (indicative); polymerisation catalysts are consumed continuously.
5. **Spent catalyst** Precious metals are refined back to the owner; nickel, cobalt, molybdenum and vanadium are reclaimed.

#### Made from (commodity table)
[Ni Nickel](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/nickel/)[Ag Silver](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/silver/)[Pt Platinum](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/platinum/)

#### Three things to know

- Topsoe sold DKK 6,174 million of catalysts in 2025 and drew about 20% of revenue from e-fuel, low-carbon and renewable fuel businesses.
- Clariant Catalysts lifted its EBITDA margin from 17.4% to 20.8% in 2025 while sales fell from CHF 883 million to CHF 816 million.
- Secondary catalysts can cut nitric acid N2O by up to 95%, one of the cheapest abatement options in chemicals (nitric_acid tile).

#### Read the tabs
[Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/routes/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/production/)[Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/feedstocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/movement/)[Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/regulation/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/emissions/)

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/links/index.md)