Issue 14, 2013

From powder to technical body: the undervalued science of catalyst scale up

Abstract

Progress in catalysis has been, is, and will always be motivated by societal needs (e.g. environment, energy, chemicals, fuels), with the ultimate aim of improving process efficiency on a technical scale. Technical catalysts are often complex multicomponent millimetre-sized bodies consisting of active phases, supports, and numerous additives in shaped forms suitable for their commercial application. They can differ strongly in composition, structure, porosity, and performance from research catalysts, i.e. laboratory-developed materials constituted by a single bulk or supported active phase in powder form, which are the predominant focus of academic investigations. The industrial manufacture of heterogeneous catalysts, encompassing the upscaled preparation, formulation, and structuring, is encircled by secrecy and is decisive for the overall process viability. Yet despite the tremendous relevance, understanding the added complexity of these multicomponent systems and the consequences for the respective structure–property–function relationships has been largely neglected. Accordingly, our review examines the intricacies of the scale up of heterogeneous catalysts. While emphasising the lack of fundamental knowledge we point out the multiple functions that additives could provide by enhancing the mass and heat transfer properties, acting as co-catalysts, or imparting improved chemical, mechanical, or thermal stability. Recent exemplary studies developing rational approaches to prepare, characterise, and evaluate technical catalysts are analysed in detail and new directions for research in this field are put forward.

Graphical abstract: From powder to technical body: the undervalued science of catalyst scale up

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
24 Feb 2013
First published
07 May 2013

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013,42, 6094-6112

From powder to technical body: the undervalued science of catalyst scale up

S. Mitchell, N. Michels and J. Pérez-Ramírez, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 6094 DOI: 10.1039/C3CS60076A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements