level four-year Japanese visiting researcher program at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in the field of oil refining and petrochemicals has been successful in carrying out scientific research between Saudi Arabia and Japan, according to Dr. Sulaiman Al-Khataff, Director of the university's Center for Refining and Petrochemicals (CRP). He said the program has resulted in joint patents, publication of scientific papers and sponsorship of conferences in the fields of oil refining and petrochemical research. The visiting researcher program was signed between KFUPM and Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP) in 2007. Two Japanese researchers have so far conducted very successful scientific research in collaboration with Saudi scientists and researchers at the CRP. Hideshi Hattori, professor emeritus at the Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, was the first high-level researcher sent to KFUPM in 2007. Along with Dr. Al-Khattaf, Hattori initiated and guided the research program in the area of catalytic isomerization of alkanes for improvement of gasoline quality. Major outcomes of Hattori's collaborative research included a patent application for novel isomerization catalysts, publication of a research paper called Applied Catalysis and Catalysis Today and guidance provided to Saudi graduate students in the field of chemical engineering. Katsuomi Takehira, professor emeritus at the Hiroshima University, joined the KFUPM-JCCP research project in 2009. Again, along with Dr. Al-Khattaf, Takehira initiated research in the area of catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene. Takehira's collaborative research included the publication of a series of four research papers in high-impact applied catalysis. To boost the current joint research program, KFUPM acquired a state-of-the-art combined catalytic reactor and catalyst analyzer system that will provide powerful tools to evaluate catalyst properties. The equipment, which costs over SR 1.5 million, can perform various essential characterizations of catalysts such as temperature programmed characterizations, metal dispersion, surface area and pulse chemisorptions measurement. Al-Khataff said the next scientific frontier of the Saudi-Japan collaboration in the field of oil refining and petrochemicals is the installation of a new advanced reactor system. __
