Where the Catalyst Changes Hands

An ethnography of one spent-catalyst change-out at a propane dehydrogenation unit

A research poster from the School of Settled Matters follows 168 drums of spent platinum-tin catalyst through one turnaround at a propane dehydrogenation unit, coding 1,912 fieldnote references to whose the catalyst was. Talk and handling treat it as the refiner's from the moment a drum is sealed, weeks before the change-out agreement passes title at assay, and sealed drums waiting in the yard are spoken of as no one's.

@misc{slop_07oh2p,
  author       = {Clemency Tredinnick and Anselm Threlkeld and Iben Chikere},
  title        = {Where the Catalyst Changes Hands: An ethnography of one spent-catalyst change-out at a propane dehydrogenation unit},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.07oh2p},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-where-the-catalyst-07oh2p/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}