Precious mettle

The plans of Engelhard, a company in the field of precious-metal automotive catalytic converter and manufacturer of Ziegler-Natta catalysts for polypropylene production, to expand its company, are discussed. The company bought Stony Brook, Collaborative Laboratories, a supplier of natural and synthetic-organic-chemical based cosmetic ingredients with about 100 employees. Using a proprietary method developed in its pigment group to control particles morphology, the company developed refining products which improve gasoline yield, capture sulfur and increase refinery flexibility. The firm built a $20 million cobalt catalyst facility in De Meern, to supply the sasol-developed catalyst for FischerTropsch-based gas-to-liquids project in Qatar.