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    Tip the scales with the new sulfuric acid catalyst

    2 min read Sulfuric acid
    Published On October 27, 2020
    Written By

    Aleksandra Wójcik

    Last Reviewed On March 11, 2025
    Tip the scales with the new sulfuric acid catalyst featured image

    Key takeaways

    01 Superior activity and efficiency for sulfuric acid production.
    02 Reduces long-term catalyst spending by up to 40%, with quick payback.
    03 Lowers energy and scrubber chemical consumption, reducing the environmental footprint.
    04 Successfully tested in industrial plants, meeting high performance expectations.

    Topsoe’s new VK38+ sulfuric acid catalyst does not only make it easier to find the right balance but also tips the scales in your favor by offering enhanced performance, better efficiency, and reduced climate footprint.

    Selecting the right catalysts for an SO2 converter has always been about balancing expenses, gains, and compliance. With increasing demands for sustainability and a cost-tight market, operators need to adjust their plants to get even more from less.

    Higher efficiency without increasing cost

    VK38+, a new potassium-promoted catalyst from Topsoe, has been proven to have higher activity than any other potassium promoted catalyst on the market, regardless of which converter bed it is used in. The catalyst is already proven in to two industrial plants and the performance lives up to the high expectations set by laboratory testing.

    Download VK 38+ whitepaper



    Through its higher activity, VK38+ brings with it the potential for enhanced performance, higher efficiency and reduced climate footprint. VK38+ provides these performance results without the cost increases that are associated with many Cs-catalyst solutions. On the contrary, calculations for VK38+ show an up to 40 percent reduction of long-term catalyst spending and a payback time of just a few months.

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    Using different loading combinations and loading sizes can help meet diverse emission requirements.

     

    Decrease the environmental footprint

    The development of VK38+ catalyst comes at the heels of tightening legislation that poses challenges to sulfuric acid plants worldwide, many of which already operate with fully loaded converters. Operators can live up to these promises and decrease their plant’s environmental footprint by using VK38+ to help cut energy consumption, reduce scrubber chemical consumption, and increase catalyst lifetime.


    As the highest performing potassium-promoted catalyst on the market, VK38+ enables you to:

    • Reduce emissions by ~35% over existing VK38/48 loading

    • Increase capacity by up to 15%

    • Lower catalyst waste and raw material use by ~50%

    • Take down power consumption by ~10% due to capacity for higher feed concentration

    • Increase power output with higher steam production at the same load

    • Decrease or avoid chemical consumption in existing scrubbers

     

    The highest performing potassium-promoted catalyst

    At Topsoe, eight decades of expertise and dedication to R&D have led to the development of some of the most advanced catalysts on the market and VK38+ is part of a range of proven, top-performing sulfuric acid catalysts. As the highest performing potassium-promoted catalyst on the market, V38+ helps tip the scales in your favor.

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