Elessent Clean Technologies is advancing sustainability through innovative process solutions and its acquisition of Sulphurnet, boosting efficiency and reliability. The move strengthens its mission to deliver cleaner, more sustainable industrial technologies worldwide.
Elessent Clean Technologies, a global leader in process technologies, is driving sustainability and carbon neutrality across the metal, fertilizer, chemical, and oil refining sectors through its MECS® sulfuric acid, STRATCO® alkylation, BELCO® wet scrubbing, and IsoTherming® hydroprocessing solutions. ChemAnalyst spoke with Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan, CEO of Elessent Clean Technologies, about the strategic acquisition of Sulphurnet and how its advanced filtration technologies strengthen Elessent’s portfolio, enhance process reliability, and support the company’s mission to deliver cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable industrial solutions worldwide.
Complete Interview with Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan
Q: Please provide an overview of your professional journey and leadership experience in the chemicals, sulfur processing, and clean technologies sectors. How have these experiences shaped your strategic vision at Elessent Clean Technologies in driving innovation and sustainability across industrial processes?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: I’ve had the privilege of wearing many hats throughout my career, working across a wide range of industries, including refining, chemicals, polymers, biotechnology, and engineering. Each experience has shaped how I view industrial transformation and sustainability.
My passion for clean technologies really took root during my time with Genencor and later DuPont, which acquired Genencor in 2012. At Genencor, I saw how biotechnology could be leveraged to create sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical and polymerization processes. That realization fundamentally changed how I think about innovation and its role in enabling a cleaner industrial future.
When I transitioned from the biotechnology side of DuPont to the engineering side with DuPont Clean Technologies (DCT), now Elessent Clean Technologies, it gave me a new perspective. I learned how traditional industrial processes can be made cleaner and more energy-efficient without adding prohibitive costs. That bridge between biotechnology and engineering helped shape my belief that sustainability and performance are not mutually exclusive — they can, and should, advance together.
At Elessent, I’ve worked closely with our team to continue expanding our emission reduction and energy-efficiency initiatives. Some of the technologies I’m particularly proud of include our next-generation regenerative sulfuric acid systems that virtually eliminate emissions; mist elimination technology that supports green hydrogen production; value-engineered heat recovery systems that make energy efficiency viable in developing regions; scrubbing solutions adapted for carbon capture; and novel hydroprocessing technologies that enable the production of sustainable aviation fuel.
These experiences have reinforced my core belief: industrial progress and environmental responsibility can, and must, go hand in hand. At Elessent, that’s the vision guiding everything we do as we help industries around the world transition to a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Q: What strategic factors led Elessent to acquire Sulphurnet, and how does this acquisition align with your long-term growth and technology expansion plans?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Sulphurnet is a specialist in advanced industrial filtration and sulfur processing: it offers tailored systems (pressure-leaf filters, self-cleaning candle filters, modular sulfur-melting & purification plants) designed for demanding process environments. Elessent’s core portfolio already includes process technologies for sulfuric acid production, alkylation, wet scrubbing, hydroprocessing, and other downstream chemical/metal/oil refining sectors.
By acquiring Sulphurnet, Elessent is able to integrate a highly specialized filtration and purification capability that complements and deepens its existing technology stack. This portfolio extension helps Elessent address a wider set of process needs from filtering sulfur feed streams to fully purifying and modularizing plant solutions.
The acquisition expands Elessent’s addressable market. Filtration and purification are relevant across sulfuric acid, chemical plants, chlorine, hydrogen, fertilizer, mining/metal processing and beyond. Sulphurnet already serves multiple industries (e.g., metal/mineral, edible oil, amine filtration) in addition to its sulfur business. Elessent can cross-sell its existing technologies into the customer base that Sulphurnet brings, and vice versa, unlocking growth opportunities.
Q: Sulphurnet specializes in advanced filtration and sulfur impurity removal technologies. Could you elaborate on how these capabilities complement Elessent’s existing portfolio across sulfuric acid, chemical, chlorine, and green hydrogen sectors?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Sulphurnet’s advanced filtration and impurity-removal capabilities fill a critical upstream gap in Elessent’s portfolio. It means Elessent can offer not just the process technology (e.g., sulfuric acid, chlor-alkali, hydrogen) but also the essential feed/purification modules that ensure that the plant runs reliably, efficiently, and with less risk. For customers, that translates into higher uptime, better product quality, lower maintenance cost, and stronger environmental performance, all of which reinforce Elessent’s value proposition in its target markets.
Q: How does integrating Sulphurnet’s technologies enhance operational efficiency, reliability, and sustainability for Elessent’s customers in critical industrial processes?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Sulphurnet’s filters remove impurities like ash and fine solids from molten sulfur, so downstream units like sulfuric acid converters and boilers run much smoother. That means less fouling, reduced pressure drop, and better overall performance. With built-in monitoring tools like turbidity analyzers and flowmeters, operators can make real-time adjustments and avoid unplanned shutdowns.
By keeping the feed clean, we reduce catalyst fouling and blockages, which extends run lengths and cuts maintenance costs. Sulphurnet’s modular and automated filter systems are also built to handle tough environments, adding a layer of protection that keeps the rest of the process running reliably.
Q: In what ways does the acquisition strengthen Elessent’s competitive position globally, and how will it influence your market expansion strategy in Europe and other key regions?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: The Sulphurnet acquisition strengthens Elessent’s global position by adding to our portfolio of solutions for our customers. We recognize that customers can have problems in their acid plants due to upstream impurities, and we want to provide that solution as part of our suite of reliability and performance enhancers for new plans and throughout the life of the plant.
Q: Filtration and impurity removal are critical for optimizing sulfur processing. How does Elessent plan to leverage Sulphurnet’s technology to drive innovation and address emerging environmental and regulatory challenges in the chemical industry?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Elessent is leveraging Sulphurnet’s advanced filtration technology to enhance efficiency, safety, and sustainability in sulfur processing operations. A key focus is the adoption of Self-Cleaning Candle Filters (SCCF) to replace traditional pressure leaf filters in sulfur plants.
Unlike conventional systems, SCCFs automate the cleaning process, eliminating the need for operators to open filter housings or manually remove filter cakes. This design reduces exposure risks, minimizes emissions, and supports compliance with tightening environmental and occupational safety regulations.
By integrating Sulphurnet’s technology, Elessent is delivering solutions that mitigate EHS risk, improve process reliability, and reduce total operating costs. This collaboration reflects Elessent’s broader strategy to drive innovation in clean technologies, helping customers meet evolving regulatory demands while advancing toward more sustainable, low-emission operations.
Q: What synergies are expected between Elessent and Sulphurnet in terms of R&D, product development, and commercial deployment of advanced process technologies?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: We see tremendous opportunity in combining Elessent’s process expertise with Sulphurnet’s specialized filtration capabilities to accelerate innovation across our shared markets. Together, we’re focused on optimizing existing process technologies and expanding our strengths in emission control, corrosion prevention, and energy efficiency, areas that have long defined our solutions.
Through close collaboration in product development and commercial deployment, particularly with our Brink® mist eliminator group, we plan to bring the same level of customer focus and technical excellence to the filtration needs of these processes. By aligning our capabilities, we can deliver more integrated, sustainable, and efficient solutions that help our customers meet evolving environmental and operational challenges.
Q: During the integration of Sulphurnet, what operational or organizational challenges do you anticipate, and what measures are being implemented to ensure a smooth transition for customers and partners?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Elessent has established a dedicated integration team composed of both technical and functional experts from across the organization. This team has been meeting weekly for several months, first to conduct detailed planning and preparation, and now to track progress against defined objectives and make refinements as needed. The integration roadmap was developed collaboratively and is supported by clear governance and communication channels to maintain alignment between all parties.
Because of this extensive upfront planning and structured execution approach, we do not foresee any disruptions or challenges for customers or partners. Our focus remains on maintaining seamless operations, continuity of service, and a unified experience across both organizations throughout the integration process.
Q: Looking ahead, does Elessent plan to replicate similar acquisitions or partnerships to expand its technological capabilities in the clean technology and green hydrogen sectors?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Sulphurnet was a great first acquisition for us. From the very beginning, it was clear that we shared the same philosophy and vision: a strong focus on technology leadership, robustness, and putting the customer at the center of everything we do. That alignment has made the integration process very natural, and we’ve already identified a number of joint opportunities where our combined expertise adds real value for our customers.
The success we’ve seen with Sulphurnet reinforces my belief that this type of strategic, bolt-on acquisition is the right path forward for Elessent. When you find partners that complement your strengths, share your commitment to innovation, and are driven by the same customer-centric mindset, it creates tremendous potential for growth.
Q: Is Elessent leveraging digital tools, market intelligence, or advanced analytics to optimize process efficiency, monitor industry trends, and maximize the impact of Sulphurnet’s technologies across global operations?
Mr. Eli Ben-Shoshan: Elessent is in the early stages of integrating Sulphurnet’s technologies into our global platform, and while it is still too soon to point to specific digital tools or analytics systems being deployed, the integration process is strategically focused on building organizational readiness and alignment, specifically, by educating Elessent’s global sales network on Sulphurnet’s full suite of offerings. This ensures that our commercial teams across all regions are equipped to introduce Sulphurnet’s advanced sulfur filtration and separation solutions to sulfuric acid producers worldwide.
At the same time, we are working to integrate Sulphurnet’s engineering and design expertise into Elessent’s broader technology and project-execution platforms. This integration is critical for establishing a unified foundation that will later support the application of digital tools, process optimization models, and analytics capabilities across global operations. By embedding these designs into Elessent’s systems, we can streamline implementation, ensure global consistency, and create the data visibility needed to identify optimization and performance-enhancement opportunities over time.
ChemAnalyst Insights on Sulphuric Acid
In Germany, the sulphuric acid market experienced a modest quarterly increase in its price index, largely due to tighter supply conditions. Despite this, overall demand remained subdued, and spot prices softened as merchant volumes increased and buyers delayed purchases during the holiday period. Production costs stayed stable, supported by steady elemental sulphur and energy prices. Market sentiment was cautious, with buyers maintaining just-in-time inventories even as the plantation season began. Volatility in the price index rose amid new capacity additions and higher smelter outputs, which added pressure to selling activity. Meanwhile, inventory overhangs and weak export demand weighed on European quotations, though downstream restocking could offer some short-term support.
