Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 9 of a series): PTQ Catalysis 2020

“Be the pilot of your own flight. Not the passenger.” ― Giovannie de Sadeleer
“You are the pilot of your life. So fly through the sky.” ― Angel Moreira
“There's only one job in this world that gives you an office in the sky; and that is pilot.” ― Mohith Agadi

PTQ Catalysis 2020 is ready to view at www.eptq.com. As always, it is rich in useful information. In the context of our Startdown to Startup series of posts, one article in particular caught my eye …

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Pilot plant studies of hydrotreating catalysts
Tiago Vilela, Graham Ormsby, José Castro And Hendrik Dathe (Avantium)

Andrew Michael Lee Gibbs And Mary Ann Abney (Ergon)

Paul Robinson (Independent Consultant)

Proposed catalyst systems for a lubricant base oil hydrotreater were evaluated with two pilot plant studies. Both studies compared two different catalyst loading schemes – System A and System B – where System A outperformed System B for hydrodesulphurisation (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN).
One pilot plant is a conventional unit with a single reactor pilot and an available catalyst volume of above 500ml. The second is an Avantium Flowrence unit with 16 parallel single pellet string reactors (SPSRs), each of which has an internal diameter (ID) of 2.6mm and an available catalyst volume of 1.0ml. In the conventional unit, the catalyst schemes were tested one at a time, without replication, while in the Avantium Flowrence unit, the schemes were tested in parallel – at two different space velocities and in quadruplicate for increased accuracy.
The SPSRs in the Avantium unit were fitted into a commercially available Flowrence XR1 system, which ensures stable and highly accurate control of gas flow, liquid flow, and pressure across all reactors. Performance data like hydrogen consumptions and liquid product properties were determined independently per reactor.
For this, the products from each SPSR were collected separately and various offline analyses performed, for instance for distillation, sulphur, nitrogen, and aromatics.
Due to the excellent hydrodynamics, 2,10 of the SPSR and sophisticated process control, the Avantium unit achieved high reproducibility, resulting in average deviations of
Studies of catalysts for hydrotreating lubricant base oil delivered similar results from conventional and high throughput pilot plants
source: www.eptq.com
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TIP: Anyone interested in starting up a new technology, or in investing in a new technology, will be well served by reading PTQ publications. While most articles will be authored by members of well established, highly capitalized corporations like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, et al., once in a while you will see an article produced by a much smaller organization. From a startup point of view, these are the articles that warrant a closer look.

Here is additional information on Avantium, Some comes from the company itself, and some comes from Reuters.

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Avantium Website
Zekeringstraat 29, 1014 BV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
info@avantium.com
+31 (0)20 586 8080
https://www.catalysis.avantium.com/
R&D Services
High-throughput catalyst testing and contract R&D, heterogeneous as well as homogeneous. Over 700 reactors, fixed bed and batch. Highly experienced team of scientists and technologists.
Catalyst Testing
Overcome any constraint in equipment, capabilities or staff. No testing challenge is too difficult. We deliver valuable results quickly.
Catalyst Testing Services
Research Collaborations
Devising and executing experimentation strategies around broad or long-term R&D objectives. From catalyst preparation, to high-throughput testing, to advanced product and data analysis.
Commercial Evaluations
Independent testing for commercial catalyst selection. Accurate and reliable results – select the best catalyst with confidence.
source: https://www.catalysis.avantium.com/catalyst-testing-and-rd-services/
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Who we are
Avantium Catalysis is the leading provider of advanced catalyst testing technology and services to accelerate catalyst R&D. It is a business unit of Avantium, the Amsterdam based, Euronext listed, leading renewable chemical technology company. We have over 50 highly skilled and experienced professionals, representing over 20 nationalities, dedicated to providing you with fast and accurate R&D results, no matter how complex your chemistry or R&D challenge may be.
What we do
Avantium Catalysis helps you accelerate your catalyst R&D. We do this by supplying our advanced Flowrence high-throughput catalyst testing systems, or by executing in-house customized contract catalyst research projects. We work in a collaborative, creative and tailored manner for our customers in the fields of refining & energy, chemicals and renewables – whatever your objectives may be, we will find a way to help you.
source: https://www.catalysis.avantium.com/#about
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Reuters
About Avantium NV
Avantium NV, formerly Avantium Holding BV, is a company based in the Netherlands engaged in environmental research and development (R&D). The Company develops chemical technologies and production processes to convert bio-based feedstock into sustainable products. The Company's business comprises three segments: Catalysis, Renewable Chemistries, and YXY. Catalysis segment provides catalysis R&D services and systems to chemical, refinery and energy companies, utilizing its Flowrence Technology Platform to devise the appropriate catalyst testing solutions. Renewable Chemistries is the development division with a portfolio of projects focusing on the conversion of biomass to chemical building blocks and plastic materials. The YXY segment comprises the activities of Syviana, the joint venture with BASF SE. The YXY technology is used to convert plant-based sugars into chemical building blocks for plastics, such as polymer polyethylenefuranoate (PEF), and other applications.
source: https://www.reuters.com/companies/AVTX.AS
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Starting Down the Startup Path: TOC – Table of Contents
If you enjoyed this post, you might like some of the others in this series. Here is a convenient way to find them.
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Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 1 of a series)
How do you find emerging technology? One way is to focus on startups.
OK, fine, but how do you discover the startups that offer a technology of interest to you? One way is to focus on venture capital firms that focus on the areas of interest to you.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2019/12/starting-down-startup-path-part-1-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 2 of a series)
Anyone involved in venture capital or its variants is interested in identifying potential candidates for investment opportunity. Finding these candidates is not easy. But a place to start on startups is to see what companies other venture capital firms have identified.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2019/12/starting-down-startup-path-part-2-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 3 of a series)
Panning for Google® gold: startups with promising new technologies
The previous post in this series featured the List of Top Oil and Gas Private Equity Firms discovered as the result of a Google® search. The list focuses on companies pursuing acquisition and development of existing resources. While the list will be useful to many, this series of posts focuses on techniques you can use to identify startups with promising new technologies.
So, on to the next step in the quest to find new technology on the cusp of successful deployment.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/01/starting-down-startup-path-part-3-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 4 of a series)
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: Follow the Lead of the Oil Majors
How do you identify startups that fit your corporate goals? One way is to set up and advertise a venture capital unit, which enables young companies to pitch their technology to your corporation.
And that is just what several oil majors have done.
Studying their portfolios can provide a wealth of helpful information, whether you are a venture capitalist, a startup, or simply interested in identifying emerging technology.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/01/starting-down-startup-path-part-4-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 5 of a series): Searching Patents
Patents: Emerging Tech
Patents are a rich source of cutting-edge research. And much of the research reported in patents never appears in peer reviewed journals. So, to identify emerging technology in your field, consider searching the patent literature on a regular basis.
TIP: Read Tips for reading patents: a concise introduction for scientists for an excellent overview on this topic.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/02/start-up-startdown-path-parti-5-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 6 of a series): Reviewing Patents
Searching for patents is iterative. You type in some keywords. Results reveal more keywords. You type in those keywords. And repeat.
This can be really tedious, irksome even. Sometimes it is hard to figure out whether a given patent is even relevant to your needs.
Fortunately, a number of experts have offered tips to make it easier to read a patent quickly.
TIP: Google® how to read a patent for more tips on efficient ways to review a patent
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/03/starting-down-startup-path-part-6-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 7 of a series): Patents and Run On Sentences
Per USPO rules, the Claims in a patent must be stated in a single sentence. In many cases, the “single sentence” can be, thanks to colons, commas, semicolons, et al., several hundred words long.
But remember that, as difficult as it may be to wrap your head around any given claim, it still is faster than reading the whole patent.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/03/starting-down-startup-path-part-7-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 8 of a series): Mining Patents for Keywords
Mining patents for useful information can be tedious. One thing you can do is to look for keywords to use in Google® searches. For example, in a previous post I listed a Breakthrough Technologies LLC patent with the following claim …
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/03/starting-down-startup-path-part-8-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 9 of a series): PTQ Catalysis 2020
PTQ Catalysis 2020 is ready to view at www.eptq.com. As always, it is rich in useful information. In the context of our Startdown the Startup Path series of posts, one article in particular caught my eye …
Pilot plant studies of hydrotreating catalysts
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/03/starting-down-startup-path-part-9-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 10 of a series): The Bigness of Machine Learning
Big data is a big deal. We humans generate so much data that our puny brains are unable to process it. So we have created machines to do that for us.
There is a whole discipline called machine learning designed to train these machines to process massive amounts of data in useful ways.
“Machine learning,” as Serdar Yegulalp notes in an InfoWorld article, “is a complex discipline. But implementing machine learning models is far less daunting and difficult than it used to be, thanks to machine learning frameworks—such as Google’s TensorFlow—that ease the process of acquiring data, training models, serving predictions, and refining future results.”
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/03/starting-down-startup-path-part-10-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 11 of a series): Thread the Needle
In a horse race, the goal is to bet on the winning horse. Common sense tells us that if we knew for a certainty which horse would win the race, racing them would be pointless. The same logic applies to new technologies, and the companies that create them.
That’s why it can be useful to look at companies that have been examined by investment funds like the Columbia Seligman Communications and Information Fund.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/04/starting-down-startup-path-part-11-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 12 of a series): Patent Prior Art Search
Prior Art Search: Everything you need to know
If you’re looking to understand everything about prior art search, you’ve landed on the right page. By the time you finish reading this guide, you’ll likely have built a solid understanding of what can be included in the prior art, how you can use this knowledge to conduct a patent search all by yourself and avoid spending valuable resources on the non-patentable subject matter.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/04/starting-down-startup-path-part-12-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 13 of a series) Dibenzothiophene Patents 2020
What’s the quickest way to determine if a patent is of interest to you? Depends on your purpose. This tip sheet may help you decide which section of a patent to focus on.
Read full post at:
https://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/05/starting-down-startup-path-part-13-of.html

Starting Down the Startup Path (Part 14 of a series)-Google Patents Find Prior Art Link
Patent research is important in any area of research you are engaged in ... especially if you are a startup, or are considering investing in a startup.
Prior art is an important concept in patent research.
In this regard, Google® Patents Prior Art Link is useful. When you find a patent of interest, in the upper right of the screen you will find a link labeled Prior Art.
Read full post at:
http://desulf.blogspot.com/2020/05/starting-down-startup-path-part-14-of.html

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Google® Better!
Jean Steinhardt served as Librarian, Aramco Services, Engineering Division, for 13 years. He now heads Jean Steinhardt Consulting LLC, producing the same high quality research that he performed for Aramco.

Follow Jean’s blog at: http://desulf.blogspot.com/  for continuing tips on effective online research
Email Jean at research@jeansteinhardtconsulting.com  with questions on research, training, or anything else
Visit Jean’s Web site at http://www.jeansteinhardtconsulting.com/  to see examples of the services we can provide