Page 138 - Principles of Catalyst Development
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126                                                      CHAPTER  6
            and formulation, but is difficult for precipitation and deposition. These are
            usually handled by batch or semibatch processes, with intermediate storage
            to  ensure  continuous  downstream  processing.  Continuous  adsorption  or
            impregnation  is  practiced  with  belts  or  baskets  moving  through  tanks  or
            with spraying.



            6.7.3.  Energy Conservation and  Environmental  Control

                Washing, drying, and calcination in the laboratory do not pose serious
            energy  or  pollution  problems.  With  large-scale  processing,  heating  steps
            must  be  adapted  to  minimize  energy  consumption.  This  is  possible  with
            good  engineering  design  and  control.  Water  and  volatile  effluents  from
            washing and heating must be cleaned before discarding or reuse.  In severe
           cases,  expensive  processing  may  be  necessary. If at  all  possible,  manufac-
            turers try to minimize these problems through modification of the precipita-
           tion  steps.



           6.7.4.  Multiproduct Flexibility

                Some  products,  such  as  catalysts  for  cracking,  hydrotreating,  and
           reforming,  are consumed in  such large quantities that plants may be dedi-
           cated  to  their  production.  Most  catalysts,  however,  do  no  justify  special
           facilities,  especially  in  pilot  testing.  Manufacturers  prefer to  use  existing
           equipment for  producing different catalysts.  An available facility  may  not
           be the most optimum, but its  use  could  result  in  substantial savings, even
           if modifications of the recipe are required.


           6.7.5.  Confidentiality, Secrecy, and  Know-How  Protection

               Catalyst  manufacturers  face  special  problems  with  confidentiality,
           secrecy, and know-how protection. Because of the nature of their business,
           they enter into confidentiality agreements with many customers. Care must
           be taken to ensure that proprietary information does not pass outside existing
           and past agreements. Secrecy is  very strict, sometimes even within a single
           organization, where different groups may be collaborating with competing
           customers.
               Solutions to  problems  in  scale-up become  part of the  manufacturer's
           assets.  Such  solutions  are  keys  to  commercial  successes  and  constitute
           competitive advantages.  For this reason, technology within a plant is  care-
           fully  guarded and protected.
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