BASF Catalysts offers exceptional expertise in the development of technologies that protect the air we breathe, produce the fuels that power our world and ensure efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products including advanced battery materials. BASF’s Catalysts division is the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. The group offers exceptional expertise in the development of technologies that protect the air we breathe, produce the fuels that power our world and ensure efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products, including advanced battery materials. We believe mobility’s future lies in more than just products. So where others come to a full stop, we’re just getting started—by leveraging the full power of BASF to continually advance our comprehensive package of sustainable solutions that enable us to travel further, as well as above and beyond. A leading supplier of high performance cathode active materials (CAM) for electrified vehicles to battery producers and automotive OEMs around the world. Protecting the air we breathe from harmful emissions through innovation. BASF leverages unsurpassed expertise in the development of emission control technologies for a wide range of market applications. BASF is committed to advancing and promoting environmentally-sound technologies to achieve a sustainable future in aviation. Offering 50 years of experience developing intelligent solutions for air quality over a wide range of applications — enabling clean air for a healthier, more sustainable future. As the global leader in chemical catalysts, BASF develops cutting-edge catalyst chemistry with our customers’ needs in mind. We want to contribute to a world that provides a viable future with enhanced quality of life for everyone. We do so by creating chemistry for our customers and society and by making the best use of available resources. BASF offers the widest portfolio of adsorbent technologies for a broad spectrum of applications in industries such as refining, petrochemical, chemical, and gas processing. Syngas, produced from natural gas or coal, is a key intermediate in the emerging technologies for gas-to-liquids (GTL), methanol-to-olefins, coal-to-liquids and fuel cells. At BASF, our Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) catalyst and additive offerings together with our expert technical services build the right solution to create value within any unit’s constraints. Paving the way toward a brighter, more secure future. Manufacturing products for sustainable solutions, reducing emissions from our processes, and using non-fossil fueled energy sources – all of these efforts help lead BASF on a continuing journey of sustainability. BASF Natural Gas experts have a diverse portfolio of products to custom design a solution and help you meet your Natural Gas treatment needs. BASF has been serving the natural gas treatment market for over 60 years. Innovative, step-change technology with dual-purpose performance: removal of heavy hydrocarbons and water to cryogenic specifications in a single unit. With more than 150 years of experience in metal sourcing, trading, and hedging, we’ve built tangible results for our industrial customers. With more than 100 years of experience in recycling materials, BASF’s end-to-end recycling program is known and trusted around the globe. As a leader in precious-metal thermocouples for many years, BASF recently applied its technological expertise to optical-based temperature measurement. Developing and producing pharmaceutical ingredients for more than 75 years, enabling us to provide the solutions you need to meet today's and tomorrow's challenges for your pharmaceutical business. Find the latest news and media information for BASF’s Catalysts division, headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, USA, the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. Explore this collection of resources to learn more about our innovative research and Catalyst solutions.
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Catalyst technologies by BASF play a crucial role in the manufacture of several fine and specialty chemical products.

Applications include flavors and fragrances, herbicides and pesticides, resins, pigments and dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, and plastic and rubber additives.

BASF is an industry leader in providing cutting-edge catalytic technologies to the pharmaceutical and fine chemical markets, where speed to market, cost-effectiveness and product uniqueness are imperative.

Examples of base and precious metal catalysts include:

  • Heterogeneous precious- and base-metals catalysts
  • Blocking group removal catalysts
  • Metals scavenging agents
  • Refining and full loop service

Why BASF?

As an industry leader in catalytic technology for fine chemical products, BASF is well-versed in the market’s needs and works tirelessly to meet them. Our assets and resources span the globe, making us uniquely qualified to support chemical companies anywhere in the world.

Technologies

BASF’s comprehensive portfolio of catalysts for fine chemical applications allows our customers to be successful. This is accomplished by our constant passion for innovation, enabling enhanced economics, and increased productivity. In industry, we are a partner for the future with our extensive expertise of both catalysts and processes.

Blocking Group Removal Catalysts

BASF offers a series of precious metal-based products called Blocking Group Removal (BGR) catalysts. BGR catalysts have been shown to outperform catalysts in the selective removal of common blocking groups used in organic synthesis and removal of protecting groups used in peptides synthesis (FMOC, t-BOC).

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The most widely used hydrogenation reaction in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry is removal of protecting groups.

Features of BASF’s catalyst include:

  • Intrinsically higher activity when compared to traditional catalysts while maintaining good selectivity
  • Proven effective in a much broader range of solvents while maintaining high activity and process productivity

Heterogeneous Precious and Base Metal Catalysts

BASF offers a variety of precious metals (Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, Ir, Au and Ag) dispersed on a wide range of supports such as carbon, alumina, silica or titania. These are available as powders, extrudes, tablets or spheres. Base metals (mainly Ni and Cu), supported and passivated as easy-to-handle powder catalysts and skeletal metal materials, round out the portfolio.

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State of the art precious metal deposition technologies allow us to optimize the performance of catalytic materials and to fine-tune formulations to the specific needs or our customers’ chemistry and equipment.

Metals Scavenging Agents (MSA)

BASF offers an innovative and uniquely effective range of metal scavenging agents (MSA). The inorganic supports used in our scavengers are based on carbon and have been carefully selected to meet pharmaceutical quality standards. In contrast to other scavenging technologies, MSAs are very effective even when the nature of the metal species that needs to be removed is not well-defined (ionic, non-ionic or mixtures of both).

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  • Used up to temperatures of at least 170°C
  • Applied in both organic and aqueous solvents
  • High uptake capacity with no swelling issues

High Leaching Resistant (HLR) Catalysts

The BASF High Leaching Resistant (HLR) catalyst technology allows the production of platinum or rhodium based catalysts which show significant higher metal leaching resistance. While the activity typically is similar to standard platinum and rhodium catalysts, the lower metal loss in the hydrogenation process delivers significant cost-saving

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BASF HLR catalysts have similar activity and selectivity behavior as standard Rh and Pt on carbon catalysts. They can be applied in reactions which are commonly working with rhodium and platinum catalysts while delivering significant cost-savings due to less precious metal being lost in the process.

Refining & Full Loop Service

BASF is the custodian of all precious metals contained in customer refining receipts and as such assumes the responsibility to maintain and operate.

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  • Controlled, segregated unit operations which minimize dispersion and loss of precious metals during the preparation and sampling of all receipts
  • Methods and procedures to generate a homogeneous concentrate from which a sample(s) representative of the entire bulk shipment can be drawn
  • Accurate and precise analytical methods and procedures to determine the precious metal content of the representative sample(s)
  • Systems for the accurate and timely calculation and credit of metal settlement content in a seamless environment
  • Operation, technical and commercial organizations responsive to the problems, concerns and requirements of the customer
  • Complete and efficient capabilities under one roof to refine a wide range of precious metal spent materials within our ISO certified facilities

Learn more about BASF's Precious Metal Products & Services by clicking here.

NanoSelect™ Technology

The BASF NanoSelect™ technology platform is an innovative production technology for heterogeneous catalysts. The NanoSelect technology delivers extremely high metal accessibility and enables control over the metal crystallite shape and size. Catalysts produced using this technology require typically 25 to 50% lower amount of precious metal, significantly lowering the cost of use. In addition, unique selectivity benefits can be obtained through using catalysts produced using NanoSelect technology.

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NanoSelect catalysts are characterized by unimodal metal particles on the nanometer scale. Reducing the size of metal particles to nanometers:

  • Greatly increases the metal surface area available per gram of metal used
  • Boosts the catalytic activity
  • Demonstrates different catalytic behavior

For example, the NanoSelect catalysts Pt-100 and Pt-200 were specifically developed to perform selective nitro group reduction. This is achieved with at least 25% less Pt compared to the vanadium-promoted Pt catalyst systems while delivering similar selectivity towards selective amine production. Two other NanoSelect catalysts, i.e. Pt-110 and Pt-210, also provide high activity and selectivity in nitro group reductions and in addition prevent accumulation of hydroxylamine intermediates. In the field of Pd-based catalysts, the NanoSelect technology was used to develop LF-100 and LF-200 catalysts as eco-friendly, lead-free replacements of Lindlar catalysts. In addition to the fact that lead is not required anymore, also the Pd content is reduced by almost 90% while maintaining equal activity.

LowMetal-HighActivity (LMHA) Catalysts

The BASF LowMetal-HighActivity catalysts deliver high productivity using less precious metals. The very high accessibility of the catalytic metal center allows decreasing the amount of PM used by up to 40%. For example, a 5%Pd on carbon catalyst could be replaced at equal catalyst weight dosage with a 3% Pd on carbon catalyst. With the current Pd price this is delivering a cost saving on used metal of 1300 Euro per kg of catalyst used. Additional cost savings can be realized due to lower metal losses and lower metal recovery cost. This technology has been successfully applied for palladium and platinum catalysts. This technology has been proven to work for palladium and platinum catalysts

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BASF LMHA catalysts are specifically designed to be used in replacement of common 5 or 10% containing Pd and Pt on carbon catalysts. They can be applied in reactions which are commonly working with palladium and platinum catalysts while delivering significant cost-savings due to less precious metal being required in the process.

Product Portfolio

Actimet™ M

BASF’s Actimet catalysts are produced by dissolving the inactive components from mixed metal alloys, according to a process of the type developed by Raney.

NanoSelect™ LF 200

NanoSelect™ LF 200 catalysts offer equivalent or greater hydrogenation activity to Lindlar catalyst with no lead content and an order of magnitude less metal (0.5 wt% compared to 5 wt%).

NanoSelect™ Pt-110

NanoSelect™ Pt-110 is a carbon powder based catalyst containing 0.8wt% of platinum as unimodal, highly dispersed, and reduced metal crystallites.

Become a Partner

At BASF, we know that our success is dependent upon your success. That is why we are dedicated to offering intelligent system solutions, supported by our outstanding customer and technical assistance. Partner with BASF to make the most of our extensive resources, world-class technologies and decades’ worth of fine chemical catalysts knowledge.

Where We Operate

Click on the map to see the locations of BASF’s fine chemical catalyst production and R&D sites.

News & Media

Datasheets & Brochures

Data Sheet

Cu 0313 P

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