Catalysis at Lonza: From Metallic Glasses to Fine Chemicals

Abstract

At Lonza, a company which is backwards integrated to light virgin naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas, catalysis is used throughout the entire scale of value added products, starting from bulk chemicals and intermediates up to special fine chemicals. In addition, environmental catalysts are used in order to fulfil the high standards of Lonza's waste management concept. However, the need for the involvement of a dedicated catalysis group is mainly seen at the upper end of the product tree: with increasing diversification the catalysts have to match the complexity of the products and the demand for tailor-made catalysts is increasing. In this sense, also the potential of new catalytic materials is being examined at Lonza. In the following, two examples of a more fundamental approach (amorphous alloys and amorphous/nanocrystalline oxides as catalyst precursors) are given. In addition, a new synthesis of β-picoline is discussed as an example of a straightforward product-oriented approach.