Clariant today announced to expand the production capacity for Houdry dehydrogenation catalysts. The expansion will be achieved by a double-digit million Swiss francs investment at its current Louisville/Kentucky, USA plant. Production is planned to start in September 2013.

Surging ethylene production based on shale gas without C3- and C4-olefins byproduct has generated a significant increase in Houdry catalyst demand.

The Houdry catalysts are part of the broad portfolio of catalyst products from Clariant's business unit Catalysis & Energy (formerly Süd-Chemie). It is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has 16 catalyst production sites worldwide. "