Our Company
Over 65 years of expert design and support for 200+ Units in 35 Countries
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.
Our 65 years of process design experience, along with extensive data collection and analysis from ongoing support, allows the CATACARB process to continually be refined, perfected, and adapted for evolving applications.
1961
CATACARB Process Patent Established
In 1961, our first CATACARB Process Patent was established, kicking off a decades-long process of refining our product and expanding our services.
The first CATACARB Process Patent dealt with CO₂ capture in Ammonia gas streams from power-generating plants and industrial facilities.
1965
CATACARB Expands to CO₂ Removal in Hydrogen Gas Streams
By 1965, CATACARB’s technology had removed and captured nearly 5k tons of CO₂.
In 1965, the CATACARB Process expanded to capture CO₂ from hydrogen gas streams at power-generating plants and industrial facilities.
1968
CATACARB Process Now Fit for CO₂ Removal in Natural Gas Streams
A few years later, the CATACARB engineers had optimized HPC for CO₂ removal in Natural Gas Streams, opening up large swaths of industry and power-generating plants to benefit from the CATACARB Process.
1969
CATACARB Process Expands to CO₂ Removal in Ethylene Oxide/Glycol Gas Streams
By 1969, the CATACARB Process had removed and captured nearly 15k tons of CO₂.
Additionally, in 1969 the CATACARB engineers optimized HPC to remove CO₂ from Ethylene Oxide/Glycol Gas Streams, further diversifying and expanding the services offered.
1980’s
CATACARB Begins Inorganic Catalyst Development, and Expands HPC Capture Technology into Nitrous Oxide Gas Streams
By the end of the 1980’s, the CATACARB Process technology had captured nearly 30k Tons of CO₂ from power-generating plants and industrial facilities around the globe. Determined to continue innovating, CATACARB engineers developed an inorganic catalyst to speed up chemical reactions, as well as optimized HPC for CO₂ removal in Nitrous Oxide Gas Streams.
2005
CATACARB Process Expands to CO₂ Removal in Vinyl Acetate Monomer Gas Streams
By 2005, yearly CO₂ removal levels were nearing 35 tons across CATACARB Units Worldwide. Meanwhile, CATACARB engineers optimized HPC for CO₂ removal in Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) Gas Streams.
2020-Present
Emphasis on Flue Gas and Diversification of Products
In the 2020’s, CATACARB has made major developments in Flue Gas, Glass Production, as well as Waste-to-Energy Power Plants.