Five years on, the case for VK38+ is stronger than ever

In 2020, we introduced our high-performance catalyst, VK38+, to the market. Designed for sulfuric acid production, it offers improved activity and durability to help plant operators in their ongoing balancing act between legislative compliance, cost control, and productivity. After five years, we can proudly state that it has delivered big time on all parameters – and still does.

Tip the scales firmly in your favor

Selecting the right catalysts for a SO₂ converter has always been about balancing expenses and gains. VK38+ helps maintain that balance – and more. With enhanced performance, more efficiency and reduced energy consumption, VK38+ provides a string of premium benefits at standard cost. It can be used in all SO₂ converter beds and is still the highest performing standard potassium-promoted catalyst on the market.

"After installing VK38+ in bed 2 the temperature increase is higher than ever. Together with a top up of bed 1, the VK38+ has increased conversion to a point where there's hardly any SO₂ left for beds 3-5 to convert"

Peter Andersson, Process Engineer, Kemira Kemi AB

VK38+ BENEFITS

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

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

• Reduce 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

• Reuse more existing catalysts

VK38+ offers superb activity over a wide range of operating conditions. While most high-performance catalysts are optimized for specific conditions, VK38+ stands out as the best catalyst on the market that can boost performance in all SO₂ converter beds.

Figure 1. The achievable conversion is dependent on the catalyst volume available, with VK38+ higher conversion can be achieved with a fixed volume. As an example, it is possible to increase conversion from 99.9% to 99.93% by moving from VK38 to the same volume of VK38+.

Five years on, VK38+ remains the industry’s most versatile solution for addressing the increasingly demanding challenges faced by sulfuric acid plants. With VK38+, operators can better live up to legislative demands and decrease their plants’ environmental footprints. The result is better economics, lower emission and less waste.

"When we introduced VK38+ five years ago, we had high expectations for its ability to address the critical challenges faced by sulfur plant operators - namely, improving efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Today, we can safely conclude that it has delivered on them. VK38+ has proven itself as a game-changer in the industry, delivering unmatched performance and helping our customers achieve their operational and environmental goals with confidence.”

Mårten Granroth, Product Line Director, Sulfur Catalysts

For more examples and context, please download our white paper on VK38+.