Refining catalysts: Overview
How a powder turns heavy oil into petrol and LPG
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.Refining catalysts are solids that speed up the reactions inside a refinery without being used up chemically, though they wear out and must be replaced. Two types dominate. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst is a zeolite powder, stabilised with lanthanum, that cracks heavy gas oil into petrol and propylene; units add it continuously. Hydroprocessing catalysts are cobalt or nickel with molybdenum on alumina, and remove sulphur from diesel. FCC catalyst alone is worth about $3.8 billion a year (2025). Supply is concentrated in Grace, BASF, Ketjen, Topsoe and Sinopec, and demand follows refinery runs and fuel rules.
Volume FCC catalyst roughly 0.5-0.9 Mt a year (indicative, basis: several hundred FCC units each adding about 1-3 t a day of fresh catalyst, larger units more); hydroprocessing catalysts not published Market value FCC catalyst about $3.8 billion (2025, market-research estimate); all refining catalysts perhaps $7-9 billion (indicative, basis: FCC plus hydroprocessing, reforming and isomerisation catalysts of comparable combined size) Growth about 4% a year in value to 2034 for FCC catalyst (market-research estimate); volume roughly flat with refinery runs Verified Market Research FCC catalyst report via GII (2025 base); policyrisk.com supply map (fresh catalyst addition per unit); Albemarle FY2025 results (Ketjen sales)Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC and resid FCC) | n/a | roughly 0.5-0.9 Mt a year (indicative)basis | FCC is the refinery's main conversion unit, turning vacuum gas oil and residue into petrol, LPG and propylene. The zeolite Y in the catalyst gives acid sites that crack large molecules in seconds. Catalyst is burned clean in a regenerator and recirculated, but attrition and metal poisoning mean fresh catalyst is added every day. policyrisk.com FCC catalysts supply map; Albemarle FY2025 results | Hydrocracking (fixed-bed, uses hydroprocessing catalysts) Coking (no catalyst, lower-value products) Naphtha steam cracking for propylene |
| Hydrotreating (desulphurisation of diesel, petrol, jet and FCC feed) | n/a | not publishedbasis | Cobalt-molybdenum and nickel-molybdenum sulphides on alumina remove sulphur and nitrogen under hydrogen pressure. Rules such as Euro 6, BS-VI in India (2020) and IMO 2020 for ship fuel set 10 ppm or 0.5% sulphur limits that can only be met with these catalysts. molybdenum tile (USGS MCS 2026); indicative | Buying lower-sulphur crude Adsorptive desulphurisation (niche) |
| Hydrocracking | n/a | not publishedbasis | Zeolite or amorphous silica-alumina supports with nickel-molybdenum or nickel-tungsten crack heavy oil to diesel and jet under high hydrogen pressure. Demand rises where refiners want middle distillates rather than petrol, as in India and the Middle East. indicative | FCC for a petrol-heavy slate |
| Catalytic reforming and isomerisation | n/a | not publishedbasis | Platinum-rhenium on chlorided alumina turns low-octane naphtha into high-octane reformate and aromatics, and makes most of a refinery's hydrogen. The metal is recycled in closed loops, so fresh demand is small but the metal value is large. platinum tile (EU CRM 2023); USGS MCS 2026 (rhenium: 15% of use in reforming catalysts) | Alkylation and isomerisation for octane Buying aromatics |
| Renewable fuels (HVO and SAF hydroprocessing) | n/a | not publishedbasis | Vegetable oils and fats are hydrotreated and isomerised into renewable diesel and jet fuel on modified hydroprocessing catalysts. Topsoe drew about 20% of its 2025 revenue from e-fuel, low-carbon and renewable fuel business. Topsoe 2025 annual results release | FAME biodiesel (no hydroprocessing) Alcohol-to-jet |
From raw material to user
- Raw materials Kaolin clay, sodium silicate, alumina and lanthanum and cerium salts for FCC; molybdenum oxide, nickel and cobalt salts and alumina for hydroprocessing. About 20% of rare earth oxide output goes to catalysts (rare_earths tile).
- Zeolite synthesis and spray drying Zeolite Y is crystallised from silicate and alumina gels, ion-exchanged with rare earths, mixed with binder and clay and spray-dried to 60-80 micron microspheres (indicative).
- Impregnation and calcination Hydroprocessing extrudates are soaked in metal salt solutions and calcined; many are presulphided off site by firms such as Eurecat.
- Use in refinery FCC units add about 1-3 t of fresh catalyst a day per unit (policyrisk.com); hydrotreater beds run 2-5 years (indicative).
- Spent catalyst Spent FCC catalyst goes to cement kilns or landfill; spent hydroprocessing catalyst is regenerated or sent to metal reclaimers for molybdenum, nickel, cobalt and vanadium (USGS MCS 2026, molybdenum).
Made from (commodity table)
Zeo ZeolitesREE Rare earthsMo MolybdenumNi NickelCo CobaltThree things to know
- Ketjen, one of the big three FCC suppliers, had 2025 sales of $1,066 million at a 14% adjusted EBITDA margin before Albemarle sold control to KPS Capital Partners in March 2026.
- Catalysts and FCC take about 20% of the world's rare earth oxide output, mainly lanthanum (rare_earths tile, 2024).
- Most of the market sits with three or four firms: Grace, BASF and Ketjen held roughly three quarters of US FCC supply (policyrisk.com, undated).