CatCost

CatCost™ is a cost estimation tool for pre-commercial catalysts.

CatCost combines industry-standard cost estimation methods and resources into an intuitive suite of tools to bring actionable cost insight to every step of catalyst research and development. It allows the rapid development of comprehensive catalyst cost estimates. It incorporates detailed insight into manufacturing methods, especially for precommercial catalysts, without requiring any process design experience.

CatCost is available in Excel spreadsheet and web app versions with user-selectable estimation methods, pricing libraries, and ease-of-use features. These features allow tailoring of an estimate to a user’s experience and need for customization, empowering researchers of all skill levels to make better R&D decisions throughout the catalyst development cycle. Our costing methods are fully transparent and give power-users the ability to adjust any estimate to the economic realities of their operation.

New version! CatCost v1.1.0 released May 20, 2021
Many new features added, including process templates, sensitivity analysis, calculation and performance improvements, and more. See the release notes for more details. Join our new mailing list to receive an email when future updates are released.

Start an estimate in the spreadsheet or web app now, or see below for more info.


CatCost features:

  • Raw materials pricing: Libraries of common chemicals, cost scaling indices, guidance for obtaining bulk quotes, and methods for extrapolating laboratory-scale prices to bulk.
  • Simplified step method for synthesis by a contract manufacturer: All-in hourly cost for process equipment using methods and data from tollers. (spreadsheet version only)
  • Capital production costs for a new-build, dedicated catalyst plant: Equipment pricing correlations, factors for related costs (e.g., piping, installation, buildings, land)
  • Operating production costs for a new-build, dedicated catalyst plant: Detailed labor estimation from equipment, factors for related costs (e.g., supervisory labor, maintenance, laboratory)
  • Process templates for common catalyst types: Designs including equipment lists and process parameters for various industrial and pre-commercial catalyst synthesis methods (e.g., wet impregnation, nanoparticles, zeolites, metal carbides). Process templates for both the CapEx & OpEx Factors method and the Step Method are included.
  • Spent catalyst value: Prices and logic to determine metals recovery value, sale value, or disposal cost.
  • Ease-of-use features: Automated unit conversions, built-in price indices, sophisticated lookup functions, model completion checks.

CatCost is available in two versions:

Note: the web app runs locally in your browser. It stores all your content (estimates and libraries) in the browser you use to generate it. While your browser will check the CatCost website for an updated version of the tool each time it is run, no user-entered information, proprietary or otherwise, is transmitted to or stored on CatCost/ChemCatBio web servers. This also means that in order to retrieve previously entered estimates or library entries, you must open the same browser on the same computer that you used to build them, or download the info as a JSON file. We recommend backing up your estimates and libraries using the web app’s import and export features (see user guide).

Spreadsheet-to-web conversion – the CatCost Data Tools

New in v1.1.0! Want to have the best of both worlds? You can convert estimates and libraries from the Excel spreadsheet version of CatCost to JSON files that can be imported into the web app version. Download a ready-to-use executable or the Python source code at the CatCost Data Tools page.

Getting started:

Before performing your first estimate with CatCost we highly recommend reading the user guide or watching a tutorial video.

Results generated by use of this Software are dependent on many variables, including the quality of the data entered by the user and any assumptions made by the user in relation to data inputs. Accordingly, DOE, NREL, and ALLIANCE cannot guarantee any results generated by use of the Software and user is entirely responsible for the results and any reliance on the results. User shall not claim that DOE/NREL/ALLIANCE authenticate or otherwise agree with the results generated by the Software. (Access the full disclaimer here)