PTQ Q1 2026 Issue

Technology in Action

as fresh alternatives. To provide a benchmark between OctaMax catalyst against existing commercial alternatives, catalyst evaluations were performed using the X4500 par - allel trickle-bed reactor system developed by hte GmbH. This platform allows up to 16 catalysts to be tested simultaneously with identical feed and operating condi - tions. Testing 16 reactors in parallel requires around 30-50 litres of feed per week for all reactors, with independent temperature control enabling multi-condition screening in a single campaign. The system’s precision in feed distribu - tion and thermal management ensures reproducibility, even with complex cracked gasoline streams. Performance results The trials highlighted two main pillars of measuring success when it came to balancing sulphur removal with octane retention: activity and selectivity. In terms of activity, which refers to the temperature required to achieve a specified level of sulphur removal, OctaMax consistently achieved the target sulphur reduc - tion at lower temperatures than reference fresh catalysts (see Figure 1 ). Operating at reduced severity lowers the overall energy demand of the unit and can extend catalyst cycle length while contributing to lower CO₂ emissions. This activity profile supports compliance with stringent sul - phur regulations, without placing additional strain on refin - ery economics. In fact, by extending cycle length, OctaMax can significantly reduce catalyst changeout costs over the long term. Perhaps most importantly for these units is the catalyst’s selectivity, specifically its ability to retain octane. Across the range of desulphurisation conditions, OctaMax dem - onstrated octane retention on par with fresh catalysts. For a given percentage of desulphurisation, OctaMax exhib - ited the same RON loss as fresh catalysts, demonstrat - ing that all catalysts shown in Figure 2 follow the same performance curve. This confirms that refiners can meet

Balancing sulphur removal with octane retention

Meeting low sulphur regulations remains one of the most persistent challenges for refiners. The hydrodesulphurisa - tion (HDS) of FCC gasoline is essential for regulatory com - pliance, but the process often strips away octane, a valuable component recognised for the role it plays in gasoline qual - ity. For refiners operating in competitive markets, where octane value translates directly into margin, this trade-off can significantly affect profitability. However, recent testing shows that specific regener - ated catalysts are shifting this equation. Data from high- Data from high-throughput studies demonstrates that refiners can achieve ultra-low sulphur levels while both retaining octane and reducing energy demand – a win-win for the industry throughput studies demonstrates that refiners can achieve ultra-low sulphur levels while both retaining octane and reducing energy demand – a win-win for the industry. High-throughput catalyst testing Evonik’s OctaMax catalyst enables refiners to meet ultra- low sulphur targets while preserving the maximum pos - sible octane using regenerated catalysts. Built on optimally regenerated NiMo and CoMo catalysts uniquely suited for FCC gasoline selective hydrogenation unit (SHU) and HDS units, OctaMax delivers equal octane selectivity

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Octane retention falls along the same curve for all catalysts

Competitor A Competitor B Competitor C Octa M ax

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OctaMax achieves the same target sulphur at a lower temperature, resulting in longer cycle length

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% HDS

Temperature (C)

Figure 1 Total product sulphur vs temperature

Figure 2 RON loss vs %HDS

PTQ Q1 2026