17-09-2024

Zeopore discussing the global production of economical, premium-performance hydrocracking meso-zeolites

Zeopore is initiating discussions with candidate partners to jointly commercialise its unique zeolite mesoporisation route, combining improved hydrocracking (HDC) performance and sustainability with an economical cost position and worldwide security of supply. Zeopore’s optimised HDC zeolites bring 3-7wt% more middle distillates, depending on feedstock and process conditions. Zeopore intends to take up this unique business opportunity to better serve the enormous global HDC market, targeting 200 million USD revenue in a 10-year time span.

Price, performance, and sourcing issues with current premium HDC zeolites
Targeting higher fractions of middle distillates in HDC units is highly valuable yet challenging, particularly when aiming to maintain process activity and manage energy consumption. Accordingly, tailored mesoporous HDC catalysts have been developed, increasing middle distillate yields by tuning the porosity of existing zeolite materials, and giving rise to a yearly added value potential of 5 billion USD dollar worldwide. Yet, the industrial uptake of such mesoporous HDC zeolites has been significantly hindered by their troublesome manufacturing processes and high production costs.

Until now, the associated mesoporisation process is typically lengthy, technically-demanding, includes exotic organic ingredients, shows low yields, and leads to the partial dissolution of an already highly-tuned and therefore expensive starting zeolite. Moreover, when starting from such a highly-tuned start material, the resulting mesoporization process becomes intimately linked to the technology of the parent zeolite supplier, thereby pressuring security of supply.

In recent years, Zeopore has consistently strengthened its position in technology innovation by optimising zeolites through mesoporization. Specifically for hydrocracking, Zeopore has developed technologies to complement the zeolite’s intrinsic micropores with a complementary network of accessible mesopores, while retaining the intrinsic zeolitic features, such as acidity and crystallinity.

Key milestone is that, in contrast to known competing processes, this is now achieved starting from intermediate, low-cost Y zeolites using a process consolidating on the synergy between mesoporization and existing post-synthetic modifications. Indeed, even low-quality / low cost commodity-type zeolites can successfully be upgraded by Zeopore to high performance HDC catalysts, thanks to our proprietary modification recipe in combination with essential process innovations.

A high-throughput testing campaign at a major refining company demonstrated Zeopore's excellent hydrocracking performance compared to un-mesoporized zeolite catalysts.

As CSO Dr. Danny Verboekend explains: “Making mesopores in faujasite zeolites is actually rather simple… Yet, doing so while retaining the intrinsic zeolitic functionality and on top also ensuring an economically viable manufacturing process is a milestone achievement we are all very proud of.”

Breakthrough in simplicity: superior HDC zeolites at low cost
Thanks to its capabilities to tune zeolitic properties and an intensive catalytic testing campaign on real feed and process conditions, Zeopore ultimately gained unique insights into the performance drivers of mesoporised hydrocracking zeolites. The deeper level of understanding of the underlying catalytic complexity enables Zeopore to offer market-leading HDC-optimized zeolites, using a unique low-cost process and broadened sourcing options for refiners.

Zeopore’s achievements on the manufacture of mesoporous zeolites will allow these highly performing hydrocracking meso-zeolites to find larger adoption into industrial refining. To enable fast deployment and full integration of our new technologies into the state-of-the-art premium zeolite range, Zeopore is assembling the right partners to gain access to this market. The revenue potential of this business is estimated at 200 million USD in the medium term.

Over the past months, Zeopore has built a semi-industrial production facility to further scale its process technology, and enable first deliveries of industrial volumes to its customers. A recent TV report has featured this installation in action.

"This is a new ball game compared with the existing HDC zeolites available on the market today," says CEO Kurt Du Mong. "Since day one, Zeopore has developed and patented solely low-cost technologies, avoiding expensive ingredients and complex process steps. Better mesoporous zeolites at lower prices, along with broader sourcing options... a unique offering to a market that seeks high performance products that maximise output at reduced carbon footprint”.