VK69 – The uncrowned king of our sulfuric acid catalysts

At just 9 millimeters in length, VK69 may not look like much. But its impact goes far beyond its modest size. This sulfuric acid catalyst is one key reason why modern sulfuric acid plants can meet stringent emission standards and achieve ever more demanding production targets. 

In this video, our Product Line Director, Mårten Granroth, takes you on a tour behind the scenes of VK69 – from production facilities to R&D laboratories – and shows what makes it one of the most successful sulfuric acid catalysts. 

Making a difference for cleaner air 

VK69 has been running in more than 175 sulfuric acid plants worldwide for decades. By helping sulfuric acid producers meet strict environmental standards, it makes a real difference for cleaner air all over the world. 

It was launched in 1996 and was specifically developed to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions from sulfuric acid plants. It is a cesium-promoted catalyst, engineered for lean SO₂ gases typically found in the lower passes of converters in double absorption plants. 

VK69 can reduce SO₂ emissions from existing double absorption plants by more than 50%. In a new or a revamped plant, it can bring SO₂ emissions down to less than 50 ppm. This means less than 0.005% of the SO₂ is left in the off gas. 

More than just an emission catalyst 

While VK69 was originally created to help sulfuric acid, plants meet tougher emission standards, it has developed into much more. Over time, we’ve discovered that VK69 also helps operators improve several other key metrics, including:

• Increased production rates
• Reduced downtime
• Lower energy consumption
• Reduced scrubber-related costs, and
• A lower carbon footprint for the plant.