From the editors

This is the 3rd edition of the Netherlands Catalysis News Letter. Plan your conference visits for the remainder of 2006, see who received the grant you applied for, and stay on top of the academic and industrial R&D in the Netherlands by checking out recent PhD theses and our Patent Review. All of that (and more) in this Newsletter.

We trust you appreciate the efforts of the editors and the correspondents and we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to submit items to the editors or the correspondent closest to you. The news letter will be published up to 4 times per year, depending on your enthusiasm as readers!

The editors

News

Vidi grant for Petra de Jongh

NWO awarded a Vidi grant to Petra de Jongh (UU). Vidi-grants (€600.000) give young researchers the opportunity to start their own line of research. De Jongh will use the grant for her research on nanostructured materials for hydrogen storage. More information.

Veni-grants (€208.000) were awarded to Andrew Beale (UU), Marco Bouwkamp (RuG), Michiel Kreutzer (TUD) and Jarl Ivar van der Vlugt (TU/e). More information.

Catalysis researchers successful in NWO-CW TOP and ECHO grants

Of the seven TOP grants (€ 675.000) recently awarded by the NWO council Chemical Sciences, three were awarded in the area of Catalysis: Rutjes (RU), Schouten (TU/e) and Weckhuysen (UU). Four Catalysis researchers: Hessen (RuG), Van Hest (RU), Lammertsma (VU) and Lefferts (UT) each received one of the 29 ECHO-grants that were awarded. More information.

Announcements

Albemarle Catalysts R&D assignments

As per September 1 last Eelco Vogt succeeded Kees van der Wiele as the R&D Director Catalysts. The change caused a chain reaction: Mark de Boer (till September 2006) succeeded Eelco as Hydroprocessing R&D manager and as per October 2006 Edgar Steenwinkel will be responsible for the Near Refining Catalysts R&D group. Kees van der Wiele has been assigned to the position of Vice President, Chief Technology Officer for Albemarle.

NCCC VIII

This year again, the Netherlands’ Catalysis and Chemistry Conference, will be held in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands. The 8th NCCC will take place from March 5 to 7, 2007. NCCC combines a number of national symposia in the field of chemistry and catalysis. Flanders-Belgium also participates in this meeting.
More information: www.n3c.nl.

DZA Book offer

The DZA has available a limited number of the student edition of the book (Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis 157) "Zeolites and ordered mesoporous materials: progress and prospects". Editors J. Cejka and H. van Bekkum. This book has been used at the pre-FEZA-conference summer school in Prague last September. We can offer this book for 45 Euro for DZA-members and 55 Euro for non-DZA-members. Please contact Patricia Kooyman, DZA president, for more information: p.j.kooyman@tudelft.nl

Call for Proposals IBOS

The second call for proposals for the ACTS-program IBOS (Integration of Biosynthesis and Organic synthesis) was launched April 2006. The deadline for the submission of pre-proposals (compulsory) is 14 September 2006. The deadline for submission of the full proposals is 10 January 2007. More information.

ACTS means business

The “ACTS means business” day is an interactive meeting between the participants of all ACTS programs and its stakeholders in industry, university and government. It offers an interactive program with highlighting presentations on the individual ACTS programs and a marketplace where business needs and science & technology developments will meet. December 6 2006; Eindhoven High Tech Campus. More information.

MACS-4

The organizing committee has the pleasure of inviting you to attend the 4th International Symposium on Molecular Aspects of Catalysis by Sulfides (MACS-IV) to be held May 13 - May 17, 2007 in The Netherlands. The venue will be the Zonheuvel Hotel and Congress Centre in Doorn near Utrecht. This symposium is the fourth in a series of symposia addressing progress in the field of catalysis by sulfides. These symposia take place at three-year intervals and are typically attended by about 50 to 100 scientists from universities and industrial research centers. More information: www.macs-4.nl.

NIOK Courses

After the summer, NIOK will organize several catalysis related courses, e.g. Characterization in Catalysis Research (October), Advanced Catalysis Engineering (November), and Catalysis an Integrated Approach (December). More information.

Recent Dutch Catalysis Patents

On a regular base, we provide you with the latest Dutch patent applications in the field of catalysis. The overviews are published on our website: www.niok-society.nl.

Business news

Albemarle and Criterion to expand hydroprocessing catalyst capacity

As petroleum fuel refiners face the dual challenge of meeting rising U.S. and global fuel demand and rigorous clean fuels specifications, the need for top-performance hydroprocessing catalysts is greater than ever. Refiners will soon find relief on both fronts from Albemarle. Therefore Albemarle Corporation (HYSE: ALB), the leading global supplier of catalysts and additives to the petroleum refining industry, recently broke ground on a new 10,000 metric tons-per-year capacity hydroprocessing catalyst (HPC) production plant at its Bayport facility in Pasadena, Texas, and set the plant to begin production in the first quarter of 2007.

In addition, Criterion Catalysts & Technologies L.P. announced Port Allen, Louisiana as the location for its previously announced new, world-scale hydroprocessing catalyst manufacturing facility. Criterion also announced the purchase of the Port Allen alumina facility from Southern Ionics Incorporated effective June 1, 2006. The acquisition is the first step in a multi year expansion whereby Criterion will expand the Port Allen facility to meet future needs for precipitated aluminas for hydrotreating catalysts. Concurrently, the new catalyst manufacturing facility will be built on this site. This new construction is a key component of Criterion’s plans to address the dramatic increase in hydroprocessing catalyst requirements to produce clean fuels.

Nonene

A relatively unknown but highly sought after chemical intermediate has been added to the Shell Chemicals portfolio. Nonene* is a branched olefin that can be used in a range of chemical formulations, from plasticisers and surfactants to lubricant additives and polymer modifiers. Nonene is an unconventional chemical intermediate, being a bi-product of gasoline production in a cat cracker. It is produced by a polymerisation process that involves reacting refinery grade propylene with an acid-based catalyst.One of the principal uses is in conversion into Isodecyl Alcohol (IDA) and then into Di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP). DIDP is used as a plasticiser for PVC widely used in electrical and automotive applications.

BASF to rename Engelhard

BASF announced that an important step in the integration process of Engelhard into the BASF Group has been accomplished with the registration of a new corporate name – BASF Catalysts LLC – in the United States. BASF will extend its brand to Engelhard companies in other regions of the world within the next months based on local registration requirements.

World-scale integrated Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) project in Qatar

The Pearl GTL project includes the development of offshore natural gas resources in Qatar’s North Field, transporting and processing the gas to extract natural gas liquids and ethane, and the conversion of the remaining gas into clean liquid hydrocarbon products through the construction of the world’s largest integrated GTL complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City. The Pearl GTL complex will consist of two 70,000 b/d GTL trains and associated facilities.  The plant will produce a range of clean liquid products and fuels, comprising naphtha, GTL fuel, normal paraffins, kerosene and lubricant base oils.   GTL fuel is the largest component of the product slate and can be used in existing light and heavy-duty diesel engines.  With lower emissions at point of use, it can play a major role in reducing local air pollution in cities and provide a strategic diversification of liquid transport fuel for importing countries.

Thesis defences

13 September: Cornelis J. Weststrate; Hydrocarbon and ammonia chemistry on noble metal surfaces. Promotor: Prof. dr. B.E. Nieuwenhuys

19 September: Rudy W.P. Wagemans; Magnesium for hydrogen storage; from micrometer to nanometer. Promotor: Krijn. P. de Jong; Co-promotor: Petra E. de Jongh

6 November: Daphne E. Keller; X-ray absorption spectroscopy of supported vanadium oxide catalysts. Promotores: Bert M. Weckhuysen and Diek C. Koningsberger; Co-promotoren: Frank M.F. de Groot and T. Visser  

20 November: Cristina Nenu; Controlled assembly of a Cr-based heterogeneous single-site ethylene trimerisation catalyst. Promotor: Bert M. Weckhuysen; Co-promotor: Philippe Bodart  

27 November: Joost N.J. van Lingen; A comprehensive model for the supported vanadium oxide catalyst: the umbrella model. Promotor: Bert M. Weckhuysen; Co-promotores: Joop H. van Lenthe and Onno L.J. Gijzeman

Conferences etc.

An overview of catalysis-related conferences and symposia can be fout in the agenda of KNCV Catalysis.

Next Edition

The next edition of this Netherlands Catalysis News Letter will be distributed in December 2006. Content can be supplied to our correspondents.