History

KATZEN International, Inc. has been providing our customers with advanced technical solutions for business opportunities for over 60 years. Incorporated in 1955, we are a group of highly experienced chemical and mechanical engineers, scientists and designers who have been active in a wide variety of chemical and related process industries. Our expertise has been applied worldwide to provide innovative and advanced design concepts in a wide variety of industries, such as:

  • Agriculture
  • Chemicals
  • Sugar
  • Cryogenic
  • Pulp and Paper

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, KATZEN founder, Dr. Raphael Katzen, designed ethanol plants for the Cuban sugar industry providing ethanol for motor fuel. The Cuban model became the basis for the Brazilian sugar-based ethanol industry.

KATZEN pioneered SSF (Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation), the fermentation process used in 90% of the grain based ethanol plants in operation today. KATZEN introduced molecular sieve technology to the ethanol industry in 1981 and was the first to design large-scale plants to operate on flexible feedstocks such as wheat, corn, milo, barley, field peas, cassava, sugar beets, sugar cane, potatoes, molasses, cheese whey permeate, sweet sorghum, etc.

Technology developed exclusively by our firm has enabled us to apply highly efficient, low-energy, low-pollution technology to a broad range of processes. KATZEN has completed over 140 projects in 35 countries. Most recently, we have completed the design and start-up of major projects in Poland, Turkey, Thailand, China, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil.

At KATZEN, we are strategically directed towards the goal of providing value-added utilization of renewable resources through development and commercialization of new and innovative technologies. Through our extensive experience and expertise, we are uniquely qualified to provide a wide range of services related to the development of sustainable competitive technologies and production facilities. Many KATZEN-designed plants are certified by the ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification).

KATZEN International, Inc. had a long, productive relationship with John E. Murtagh, PhD up until his death in 2003. His legacy continues in KATZEN through the work that we do for our client companies.

Dr. John E. Murtagh Legacy