Black Bay acquires Merichem’s catalyst biz; expands sulphur treatment

Black Bay acquires Merichem’s catalyst biz; expands sulphur treatment

Investment firm Black Bay Energy Capital has announced the acquisition of Merichem Company’s technology business unit, comprised of Merichem Process Technologies and Merichem Catalyst Products, which will collectively be renamed Merichem Technologies. Merichem Company will maintain its caustic services business, which handles spent caustic for beneficial reuse.

Black Bay is a private equity firm focused on the energy and specialty chemical sectors. Merichem Technologies represents a new sulphur-treating platform for Black Bay.

Founded in 1945, Merichem Company is a global leader in full-service sulphur removal, caustic treating and spent caustic treatment technologies. Merichem also provides spent caustic handling services as an alternative to technology solutions. For 78 years, Merichem Company has served customers worldwide with its deep expertise and comprehensive capabilities in design and engineering, fabrication, research and testing, logistics, implementation, and technical support.

The new standalone platform, Merichem Technologies, will be a global provider of sulphur treating technologies and solutions, including Lo-Cat, Fiber Film, Thiolex, Mericat, Mericon, and a suite of proprietary chemical catalysts. The company’s capabilities will include design, engineering, fabrication, R&D, and implementation of chemical catalysts and mechanical solutions to treat sulphur and other impurities across many different industries and markets, including renewables, gas treating, downstream and midstream, and many others.

Cyndie Fredrick, CEO of Merichem Technologies, stated, “The Merichem Technologies team has successfully deployed highly engineered & patented technologies, chemical catalysts, and mechanical solutions to various end markets including liquified natural gas (LNG), midstream oil and gas, refining of traditional crude and renewable feedstocks, biogas/landfill/RNG production, geothermal energy production, and chemical manufacturing. Merichem Company has been a fantastic steward of this business for decades, and the entire Merichem Technologies team is excited about our new partnership with Black Bay and the ability to pursue new avenues for growth.”

“Sulphur treatment is a critical path item across many industrial applications around the world. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), mercaptans, carbon dioxide (CO2), and other related impurities must be dealt with to ensure environmental compliance, sustainable operations, and a saleable end product. We are thrilled to partner with Cyndie, Rene, Jeff, William, and the rest of the Merichem Technologies team to accelerate growth and expand the portfolio of solutions to help clients with their operational and environmental goals,” said Tom Ambrose, Partner of Black Bay.