Review catalyst industries in Iran (1)

Review catalyst industries in Iran (1)

The catalyst market can be examined from different perspectives, based on which different classifications can be offered for catalysts. In terms of performance, catalysts are divided into two main categories:

• Homogeneous (homogeneous)
• Heterogeneous (inhomogeneous)

Homogeneous performance means the chemical process of isophase materials and heterogeneous performance means the chemical process of non-phase materials. The development of each of these types of catalysts means the growth of related industries. For example, heterogeneous catalysts are very important in the growth of the refining and petrochemical industries, and homogeneous catalysts enable faster chemical processes.

The basic building blocks of catalysts include zeolite and metal bases as well as some organic bases. Zeolite and metal based catalysts are mainly used in refining and environmental industries and organic based catalysts are used in polymer industries. Therefore, the growth rate of each of these industries determines the need for basic materials for catalyst manufacturers.

Catalysts are widely used in several important industries, including the following:

• Refinery industries
• Petrochemical industries (polymer and non-polymer)
• Environmental industries
• Steel Industries

The size of each of these industries in the country determines the demand for that particular type of catalyst. In Iran, refinery and petrochemical catalysts are a major part of consumption. At present, there are various refineries and petrochemicals in Iran, each of which needs a catalyst in order to convert its input raw materials into more value-added products.

Obviously, the variety of catalysts used in the petrochemical industry is due to the multiplicity of processes and products more than the refining industry. In general, to understand the market of industrial catalysts in Iran, the best type of classification is classification based on consumer industries. In this regard, all sections of catalyst consumers and their annual consumption estimates are presented in Table (1).

Table (1): Classification of catalysts by consumption sectors in Iran

Given that most catalysts are heterogeneous (based on heterogeneity) and based on a specific base, the classification of other catalysts is based on the type of base material shown in Table (2).

Table (2): Classification of catalysts based on the type and their consumption in Iran