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A cat cracker. That sounds horrible, doesn't it? Actually, it's short for fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), the heart of the modern oil refinery, which heats up crude oil and passes the vapor through catalysts, which help break it into smaller molecules. This process turns crude oil into gasoline, diesel fuel and so-called feedstock for plastics. The catalysts in the unit's name are added to improve the efficiency of the operation, cut losses from evaporation and remove harmful substances.
Intercat, a small fish in the huge, rich pond of the oil business, specializes in developing and making additives that refiners place into their FCCUs to improve performance.
In an industry dominated by giants such as Engelhard in Iselin and Boca Raton, Fla.'s W.R. Grace, where does a small company in Manasquan like Intercat fit? According to Regis Lippert, Intercat's founder and CEO, "A friend of mine suggested...