According to Ali Pajouhan, managing director of Iran’s Petrochemical Research and Technology called PRTC, significant steps have been taken for domestic production of catalysts used in petrochemical processes in Iran, adding that the production of three catalysts has been commercialized by PRTC and another one is also underway.
Pajouhan claimed 13 petrochemical companies had purchased the catalysts and would use them in their operations. As an example, the official said that consuming Ziegler–Natta catalyst used for the production of linear light polyethylene would save companies some USD30 million annually.
Moreover, commercialization of the catalyst for the production of high-density polyethylene pipes would save petrochemical companies USD15 million annually. PRTC cooperates with a wide range of petrochemical companies in Iran as licensor and research consultant, Pajouhan said.
The National Petrochemical Company hopes to lift output capacity to 120 million tons per annum by 2022. In the March 2018-19 fiscal, Iranian companies exported USD14.1 billion worth of petrochemicals. Official data has it that petrochemicals account for 32% of Iran’s non-oil exports.