# Chemical process catalysts: Production route

Nickel, copper or silver: matching the metal to the reaction

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

What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.

Process catalysts are a family of formulated products rather than one route. Heterogeneous base-metal catalysts (nickel, copper-zinc, iron, chromium, vanadium) are made in large batches by precipitation or impregnation and shaped into rings, tablets or extrudates. Precious-metal catalysts (platinum, palladium, rhodium, silver) are made in smaller lots, and the metal is usually owned by the customer and toll-refined. Polymerisation catalysts are made under strict air-free conditions. Homogeneous catalysts are dissolved complexes. The value lies in formulation and in licensing the process around it.

#### Routes compared

| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Syngas catalysts (reforming, shift, ammonia and methanol synthesis)** | a large share of Topsoe, Clariant and JM catalyst sales (indicative) | reforming catalyst about 10-20% nickel; methanol catalyst about 50-60% copper oxide (indicative) | a world-scale ammonia plant holds a few hundred tonnes of catalysts (indicative) | not applicable | spent nickel and copper catalysts recycled | not published |
| **Polyolefin catalysts (Ziegler-Natta, chromium, metallocene)** | not published | productivity of tens of tonnes of polymer per kg catalyst (indicative) | kilotonne-scale plants (indicative) | not applicable | none | not published |
| **Precious-metal and silver catalysts** | not published | EO catalyst about 15-35% silver (indicative) | EO reactor charge of hundreds of tonnes (indicative) | EO selectivity about 85-90% for high-selectivity grades (indicative) | CO2 from over-oxidation in EO | fabrication fee plus metal |
| **Sulphuric acid and oxidation catalysts** | not published | about 5-9% V2O5 (indicative) | acid plant converters hold 100-300 t (indicative) | SO2 conversion over 99.7% in double-absorption plants (indicative) | spent vanadium catalyst | not published |

#### How each route works
**Syngas catalysts (reforming, shift, ammonia and methanol synthesis)**

Nickel on calcium aluminate for steam reforming; iron-chromium and copper-zinc for water-gas shift; magnetite promoted with potassium and alumina for ammonia; copper-zinc-alumina for methanol. Sold as reload packages for each reactor.

Large installed base; electrolytic hydrogen could shrink reforming catalyst demand over decades.
 indicative; Topsoe and Clariant 2025 results **Polyolefin catalysts (Ziegler-Natta, chromium, metallocene)**

Titanium chloride on magnesium chloride with internal donors (Ziegler-Natta), chromium on silica (Phillips) or zirconocene with MAO activator. Consumed in the polymer at grams per tonne.

Grows with plastics; tied to licensors.
 indicative **Precious-metal and silver catalysts**

Silver on alpha-alumina for ethylene oxide; Pt-Rh gauzes for nitric acid; Pd and Pt on carbon for hydrogenation; Rh complexes for oxo. Metal leased or owned by the user and returned for refining.

High selectivity saves feedstock and CO2; metal price risk.
 ethylene_oxide tile; rhodium tile; indicative **Sulphuric acid and oxidation catalysts**

Vanadium pentoxide on silica with potassium or caesium sulphate promoters converts SO2 to SO3. Mixed metal oxides (Mo-Bi, V-P) make acrylic acid and maleic anhydride.

Caesium grades cut SO2 emissions (USGS); vanadium price exposure.
 USGS MCS 2026 (caesium); indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/process_catalysts/correlation/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)