Cepsa to Upgrade Detergent Plant with Honeywell UOP Technology

Project Overview

Honeywell announced that Cepsa will convert an alkylation unit using hydrofluoric acid to Honeywell UOP's solid bed Detal-Plus™ technology at its refinery in San Roque, Spain. The unit produces linear alkylbenzene (LAB), which is used to make various detergent formulations, including biodegradable household detergents.

Project Details

Honeywell will provide catalysts and adsorbents, basic engineering design, and other associated services for the complex. The project is scheduled for completion in 2020 and will be the world's first conversion of an HF alkylation unit to solid bed technology. With the conversion to Detal-Plus technology, the plant's capacity will increase by 50,000 metric tons to 250,000 metric tons of LAB per year.

Technological Advancements

The Detal-Plus technology, co-developed with Cepsa, is the first solid bed technology with the flexibility to produce LAB for various detergent formulations. The core of the process is Honeywell UOP's new ZDA-30 series catalyst, which features higher activity and selectivity, making it more energy efficient.

Integrated Processes

The Detal-Plus technology, combined with Honeywell UOP's Molex™, Pacol™, DeFine™, and PEP™ processes, forms an integrated and energy-efficient LAB complex. The Molex process provides an economical route to produce normal paraffins from kerosene. Pacol technology performs dehydrogenation of normal paraffins to olefins, and PEP technology handles the selective removal of aromatics.

Environmental Impact

Honeywell pioneered the manufacture of LAB in the 1960s, addressing the negative environmental impact of conventional detergents. Today, LAB from Honeywell UOP processes is the most widely used component in producing biodegradable detergents, emulsifiers, dispersants, wetting, and foaming agents.