Refining catalysts: Feedstocks
Why Chinese lanthanum sits inside the world's refineries
Why Chinese lanthanum sits inside the world's refineries 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.Refining catalysts use clay, silica and alumina in bulk and small amounts of high-value metals. Lanthanum sets FCC catalyst stability and cost; molybdenum, nickel and cobalt set hydroprocessing catalyst cost. Because most of these metals come from China or are by-products, makers pass metal costs through and compete on formulation and service, not on raw material access.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeo Zeolites | about 15-40% of FCC catalyst by weight (indicative) | cracking activity | not published | indicative |
| Kao Kaolin & clays | roughly half of FCC catalyst by weight (indicative) | matrix and filler | small | indicative |
| REE Rare earths | about 1-3% rare earth oxide in FCC catalyst (indicative) | hydrothermal stability of zeolite | small normally; large in 2011 | rare_earths tile (20% of REO to catalysts) |
| Mo Molybdenum | about 10-25% of hydroprocessing catalyst (indicative) | active hydrodesulphurisation phase | large share of hydroprocessing catalyst material cost (indicative) | molybdenum tile |
| Ni Nickel | about 2-6% (indicative) | promoter (NiMo) | not published | indicative |
| Co Cobalt | about 2-5% (indicative) | promoter (CoMo) | not published | indicative |
| Pt Platinum | about 0.2-0.4% in reforming catalyst (indicative) | reforming metal, usually leased | metal owned by refiner | platinum tile |
Who is low-cost, and why
There is no public cost curve. Scale, owned zeolite technology and long refinery relationships favour Grace, BASF and Ketjen; Chinese makers are cheaper but sell mostly at home. Metal prices are passed through in hydroprocessing contracts.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Zeo ZeolitesREE Rare earthsMo MolybdenumNi NickelCo CobaltWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| C3H6 Propylene | FCC units with ZSM-5 additives are a major propylene source |
| HVO Renewable diesel and SAF | renewable fuels need hydroprocessing catalysts |
| H2SO4 Sulphuric acid | sulphur removed by hydrotreating becomes refinery sulphur, much of it turned into acid |