Lummus Technology is a privately held process technology licensor based in Houston, Texas. It develops and licenses the process designs behind refining, petrochemical, polymer and gas processing plants, supplies proprietary equipment and formulations, and sells lifecycle services and digital tools to operating companies. Leon de Bruyn is president and chief executive officer, and the company states that it has licensed more than 2,700 units in over 65 countries, with more than 115 years of technology history and over 20 technology offices and research centres.
A standalone licensor under TCG and Rhone
Lummus became an independent company on 30 June 2020, when The Chatterjee Group, through its flagship Haldia Petrochemicals Limited, and investment funds affiliated with Rhone Capital completed a joint acquisition from McDermott International for a base purchase price of USD 2.725 billion. The transaction formed part of McDermott's restructuring and left Lummus as what it described at the time as the only major process technology licensor that is independent and privately held. The company presents itself as a master licensor able to integrate several of its own technologies into one project, an approach it used on awards such as the Duqm refinery and petrochemical complex in Oman, where its scope covered an ethylene unit, an NGL unit, butadiene extraction, MTBE and 1-butene units, heaters, catalysts, process design and training.
Technology portfolio
The licensed portfolio spans clean fuels, renewables, petrochemicals, polymers, gas processing and water treatment. Well-known lines include CATOFIN propane dehydrogenation, marketed with catalyst partner Clariant, Novolen polypropylene technology, CDAlky sulphuric acid alkylation, ISOCRACKING hydrocracking, DPC cumene and phenol technology, INDMAX fluid catalytic cracking, butadiene extraction, the CDTaee bio-ethers process and ethylene cracking furnaces. Equipment and proprietary formulations are sold alongside the licences, and the company has been expanding into circular and low-carbon routes: it signed a memorandum of understanding with Braskem in 2021 to license ethanol-to-ethylene technology for two green ethylene projects in North America and Asia, and later set up a dedicated circular economy and energy transition initiative.
Record PDH award in China in 2026
On 10 September 2026 Lummus announced its most recent large award, a contract from Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical Co., Ltd. to license CATOFIN technology for a propane dehydrogenation unit in Zhejiang Province, China, with a capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum. The company describes the unit as the largest licensed PDH unit in the world. ZPC, a repeat customer, had previously licensed CDAlky, ISOCRACKING, DPC and butadiene extraction technologies, and will use the propylene to feed petrochemical derivatives while drawing propane from refinery expansions. Chief business officer Romain Lemoine attributed the award to CATOFIN's operating record, and the company notes that the process was developed with Clariant, which supplies the associated catalyst systems.
Affiliates and investment arm
Lummus operates several affiliated businesses. CLG is a joint venture with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. that provides engineering services and hydroprocessing technologies and catalyst systems covering hydrotreating, hydrocracking, lube processing and residuum upgrading. Lummus Consultants International provides independent technical advisory work for investors, lenders and asset owners, including due diligence, feasibility studies, construction monitoring and expert witness services. Lummus Digital, a joint venture with TCG Digital, combines first-principles process models with machine learning for predictive maintenance and operational optimisation. Lummus Venture Capital invests in emerging technology companies active in green hydrogen, biopolymers, advanced recycling and sustainable processing.
Leadership and how to make contact
The leadership team listed on the company's about page comprises Leon de Bruyn as president and chief executive officer, Erika Taurel as chief financial officer, Norby Foss as chief legal officer, Ajay Gami as chief commercial officer, Romain Lemoine, Rutger Theunissen and Ron Venner as chief business officers, Deepak Martin as chief human resources officer and Ujjal Mukherjee as chief technology officer. Press enquiries are directed to a named media contact at [email protected], while general business enquiries run through a web form on the contact page that asks for name, company, e-mail address and message. The company maintains a LinkedIn page as its main social channel.