The CATACARB Process, the state-of-the-art in Hot Potassium Carbonate, was invented and developed by Mr. A.G. Eickmeyer. As an employee of Stanolind Oil & Gas Co. and J.F. Pritchard & Co. in the 1940’s and 50’s, he became familiar with the Hot Potassium Carbonate (HPC) process being developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

Mr. Eickmeyer believed the HPC process had many advantages, but through his trouble-shooting work on most of the early HPC installations, he also became aware of some drawbacks. The process required substantially less heat than the Amine processes, but absorption/desorption rates were slow. In addition, the equipment was too large, and the solution was sometimes corrosive.

Mr. Eickmeyer studied the Bureau of Mines’ data and, through his own laboratory experiments and award of several patents, arrived at significantly different operating conditions which allowed these plants to achieve as much as 110% of design production.

Through the development of various catalysts and corrosion inhibitors, E&A has been able to improve on the original HPC process. The catalysts greatly increase the rate of absorption and desorption of CO₂, thereby reducing equipment sizes, capital costs, utility requirements, and residual CO₂ contents. The addition of corrosion inhibitors allows costs to be reduced even further by minimizing the need for extensive use of stainless steel.

The result of all this work is the CATACARB process, the state-of-the-art in Hot Potassium Carbonate.