Addressing a ceremony to unveil the domestically-made SAC 500 Catalyst which is used for production of PE-100 grade polyethylene pipes, on Wednesday, the PRTC CEO said the company would develop the technical knowhow for production of 7 catalysts in the new calendar year.

Ali Pajouhan said, "Let's not allow the catalysts to become the bottleneck of the petrochemical industry to put the country under pressure."

The official said reactors were the heart of plants in the petrochemical industry, and their performance was heavily dependent on catalysts.

He pointed out that the technical savvy for production of the catalyst was monopolized by a few foreign companies, adding production of the catalyst, in addition to economic benefits for the country, would improve the quality of polyethylene pipes produced inside the country.

The PRTC CEO said his company had spent over a decade on developing the technical knowhow for production of the catalyst, saying that various tests were carried out on the item before it was introduced for mass production.

The official also added that PRTC had signed 14 trade deals with various companies of which seven concerned production of catalysts which would lead to production of 7 new catalysts by the next calendar year.

He said that each kilogram of SAC 500 Catalyst cost Iran around €300 to €400, while the production cost of the item for Shazand Petrochemical Company was $50 per kilogram and the annual consumption of the catalyst was 40 to 50 tons in Iran.