Titan Group starts testing new domestic catalysts

OMSK. April 11 (Interfax) - Titan Group's engineering center, working with the Russian Academy of Sciences' Topchiyev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis (TIPS RAS), has begun endurance testing domestic technology for production of zeolite catalysts, the group reported.

Such catalysts are needed for production of isopropyl benzene but are not currently produced on a commercial scale in Russia.

"At this stage, the objective is to fine-tune the new technology for its subsequent introduction into commercial production. Tests are being done at the laboratory of [Titan Group's] Omsky Kauchuk plant," the company said.

"The plant currently has a similar unit for propylene alkylation of benzene with propylene intended to produce cumene using zeolite-containing systems as catalysts. It is expected that our joint know-how with TIPS RAS will soon make it possible to replace imported analogs, which in addition to the problem with supplies have another important nuance - a limited service life," Titan Group deputy CEO for production Alexei Danilov was quoted as saying by the press service.

After testing the trial samples, the developers will move to the next stage, making commercial batches of catalysts, the group said. As a result of the project, Omsky Kauchuk is expected to set up production of isopropyl benzene using domestic raw materials by 2026.

Titan Group has a number of petrochemical divisions, including Omsky Kauchuk, which produces butadiene-alfa methyl styrene rubbers, propylene, methyl tert-butyl ether, phenol, acetone and isopropyl alcohol; Titan-SM LLC, which produces synthetic plastic lubricants and oils, automobile chemicals and antiseptics based on isopropanol at facilities in Omsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov and Tula regions; and Titan-Polymer LLC, which produces BOPET films in Pskov Region. The group also includes Titan-Agro, which produces pork and compound feed in Omsk.