Degussa and Headwaters Form JV to Commercialise Hydrogen Peroxide Technology

On September 28, Degussa AG, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Headwaters, Inc., South Jordan, Utah, USA, signed an agreement to establish a 50:50 joint venture to develop and commercialize a direct synthesis process for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The partnership aims to invest in mega facilities to produce low-cost hydrogen peroxide for chemical intermediates. High-volume producers will be able to use the H₂O₂ from these facilities to produce intermediates such as propylene oxide (PO).

The “Degussa Headwaters” joint venture, which plans to complete process development by 2007, will be responsible for commercialization, and will build and operate manufacturing facilities. The first plant could be built in 2008. Shawn Abrams, Head of Degussa’s Active Oxygen’s business line, and Craig Hickman, President of Headwaters’ Technology Innovation Group, have a common vision: “Combining our activities in this joint venture will enable us to launch the process far sooner.” They stress that “Degussa Headwaters” is already well advanced in the development of direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide.

Abrams explains the goal: “At the end of the day, we believe that our process will cut the cost of investing in large-scale H₂O₂ production plants for PO by a third to a half.” Hickman continues: “We expect our process to produce the lowest-cost hydrogen peroxide for high-volume chemical synthesis routes.” The joint venture is a new step for Headwaters, as Hickman explains: “This will be our first experience with a long-term joint venture, combining our nanocatalyst technology with the development and commercialization expertise of a world-class specialty chemical company. As PO and other chemicals are produced from H₂O₂ in the future, Degussa and Headwaters believe demand for this environment-friendly oxidation agent will increase significantly.

Both companies have been working independently on direct synthesis for a number of years. Degussa’s contribution to the joint venture includes its extensive expertise as one of the world’s largest hydrogen peroxide producers with present capacity of 550,000 metric tons per year. Headwaters is an industry leader in nanocatalysis, so the partnership will be able to capitalize on its strong knowledge of catalysis for direct synthesis reactions. Its proprietary technology includes the NxCatTM nanocatalyst, a heterogeneous precious metal catalyst with high selectivity, high productivity and stability. Hickman continues, “Decisive advances in nanocatalysis and our process knowledge will enable our partnership to develop what we believe may be the world’s most cost-effective H₂O₂ process.” The new process is to be tested and optimized for bulk production in the pilot plant at Degussa’s site in Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany.

The new direct synthesis method, which uses a catalyst to react hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂) to form only hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), is to be scaled up for industrial use. Degussa has been producing hydrogen peroxide for many years using a proprietary anthraquinone process. The aqueous H₂O₂ generated by this process is mainly used to bleach paper and pulp. The new direct synthesis H₂O₂ is not seen as an alternative for this sector. It gives hydrogen peroxide dissolved in low concentrations of methanol, which can be used directly in the production of PO. “Compared with the anthraquinone method, direct synthesis has enormous advantages for the PO process,” explains Abrams. He also believes that direct synthesis H₂O₂ could be used for other production processes in the future, such as caprolactam, phenol and epichlorohydrin.

Abrams is convinced that the direct synthesis route to H₂O₂ developed by the Degussa Headwaters joint venture, combined with the Degussa/Uhde technology for propylene oxide, will greatly reduce the cost of producing propylene oxide in the future. In 2001 Degussa and what is now Uhde GmbH, Dortmund, Germany, agreed to collaborate on the development of a new production process for propylene oxide. This method produces propylene oxide from propylene and hydrogen peroxide with the aid of a catalyst. The only by-product is water. Degussa has stated that it has no plans to become a volume producer of propylene oxide.

Major propylene oxide producers are already planning facilities that can produce at least 250,000 metric tons of propylene oxide a year. On this scale, each plant designed to use the new process would require annual H₂O₂ production capacity of over 180,000 metric tons. Propylene oxide is a starting product for polyurethane, which is used in applications such as cushions and car seats. The market for PO currently exceeds five million metric tons a year and Degussa and Headwaters believe that its growth prospects are excellent.

For more information on propylene oxide, click here.