Catalysts in petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals

A two-day symposium on refining and petrochemical catalysis was held on December 5-6, 2004, at King Fahd university of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The main topics of the discussion in the symposium include latest catalyst developments and advances in hydrogen and syngas production for clean fuels, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), Oxo process and polymerization catalysts. Dr. Koichi Eguchi of Kyoto University, Japan, highlighted the development of catalysts for hydrogen production by reforming and partial oxidation (POX) of hydrocarbons. The other topics discussed include a new generation of hydroconversion and HDS catalysts and catalytic treatment techniques for volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions control.