Albemarle Corp. and Petrobras have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a world-scale hydroprocessing catalyst (HPC) production plant on the site of their existing joint-venture Fabrica Carioca de Catalisadores SA (FCC SA) in Santa Cruz, Brazil. The new facility will complement existing production of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts.

The plant will be constructed ahead of significant growth in demand for hydroprocessing catalysts, as Petrobras begins to introduce new hydrotreaters to existing and new refineries over the coming years. Albemarle will provide FCC SA with its leading technology for manufacturing HPC, enabling production of STARS catalysts.