MK-181 PRIME™ catalyst: From scientific research to customer value

Imagine doubling the lifetime of your methanol catalyst and reducing natural gas consumption. Without compromising performance. Since its launch in 2018, the MK-181 PRIME™ catalyst has enabled methanol producers to set new standards for plant performance through higher activity and longer lifetime.

But what makes this catalyst so revolutionary? To get the inside story on the MK-181 PRIME catalyst’s advantages, we turned to two of our experts: Rishika Chatterjee, our Subject Matter Expert on the MK-181 PRIME catalyst, and Mads Feddersen, Product Line Director for the MK catalyst series.

The importance of optimizing methanol production

Methanol is a base chemical and thus sits at the cornerstone of the chemical industry. It is used as a fuel in the shipping industry and as a blending component in gasoline used by the automotive sector. In addition, it is a feedstock in the production of formaldehyde, acetic acid, and plastics. With a rising global demand for methanol, the need for more efficient and environmentally friendly production methods is stronger than ever.

“Like many other industries, methanol production is increasingly focused on ways to achieve higher efficiency to improve feedstock utilization and to increase plant throughput,” explains Mads Feddersen. “This will help the industry stay competitive in a highly volatile market. These challenges impose high requirements on the catalysts used in the process, as they play a vital role in enabling these improvements.”

Rishika Chatterjee and Mads Feddersen

Pioneering chemistry for better methanol production

The MK-181 PRIME catalyst is the result of a research project conducted by Topsoe’s R&D department back in the 2010s. The team was looking for ways to improve the fundamental understanding of the roles of various components of methanol synthesis catalyst, by diving into the interplay between zinc atoms from the zinc oxide when they move onto the surface of the copper particles during the methanol synthesis reaction.

The R&D team measured exactly how much zinc covers the copper and found that the amount of zinc on the copper surface (called the zinc coverage) is directly linked to how well the catalyst works. More zinc generally means higher activity, up to a certain point.

“To have a high methanol synthesis activity, we need small and stable copper particles to give us a larger copper surface area for the reaction. We also need small and stable zinc oxide particles to maximize its positive effect on the catalyst activity,” explains Rishika Chatterjee.

The findings provided a clear, measurable way to optimize methanol production by controlling how much zinc covers the copper and by adjusting the gas mixture and particle sizes of the catalyst.

Topsoe scientists have been among the key contributors in explaining the interplay between zinc oxide and copper particles. This study and its findings were later published in the world’s leading scientific journal, Science.

From research to result: The MK-181 PRIME™ catalyst

Building on the insights from the research, we developed a unique way of boosting the activity of our methanol synthesis catalysts via what we refer to as ‘Promotion by Inter-Metallic Engineering (PRIME™) technology. The end-result was launched in 2018: the MK-181 PRIME™ catalyst – a superior industrial methanol synthesis catalyst that enables methanol producers to optimize plant performance.

“With MK-181 PRIME™, our customers can benefit from a longer catalyst lifetime and improved performance, especially towards the end of the operating cycle,” Mads explains. “Catalyst lifetime with MK-181 has in some cases increased by 100% compared to previous run with MK-151.”

Rishika adds: “The MK-181 PRIME™ offers the highest catalytic activity among the methanol synthesis catalysts available on the market. It is also very stable which helps methanol producers to achieve higher reaction rates and improved efficiency.”

These catalyst features enable methanol producers to process more syngas for increased plant throughput or to lower energy consumption while maintaining production levels.

“MK-181 PRIME has today been widely adopted in the methanol industry and established itself as a reliable and proven solution. It is installed in methanol plants operated by industry leaders and has secured a strong base of returning customers,” says Mads.

Reducing raw material consumption

The MK-181 PRIME™ catalyst is primarily composed of copper, zinc and alumina. By doubling the catalyst’s lifetime, the product not only reduces operational costs but also lowers its environmental impact based on its decreased consumption of raw materials used for catalyst production.

Scientific innovation like the one behind the MK-181 PRIME catalyst shows how cutting-edge science can be transformed into value and deliver both economic and environmental benefits for methanol producers worldwide.