Catalysts

Catalysis Engineering 2002 What are they ?

What are they doing?
How do they look like?

How to apply?
What for?

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Catalysis: Applications
b.C.

Biocatalysis

Sulphuric acid (NO) • Environment / Health

1800
alcohol decomposition
– Three-
Three-way Catalyst - Pt/Rh
Pt/Rh/Al
/Al2 O3
Chemocatalysis
Davy mine lamp » CO + NO + HC CO2 + H2O + N2

‘Catalytic force’
• Chemicals / Refinery
Sulphuric acid (Pt) 1900 – 80-
80-90% products produced through catalysis
Industrial Catalysis Ammonia synthesis

Fine Chemicals
Pharmaceuticals
2000
Japanese: Shokubai - ‘Huwelijksmakelaar’
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 The Magic Box Main-
Main- and side-
side-Products

Production
1995 Waste Production
Mton/year
Mton/year
1000 100
Mton/year
Mton/year
Catalyst
10
100

1 kg waste/kg product
10
0.1

1
0.01

0.1 0.001

Petrochemicals Fine chemicals

• Selectivity Bulkchemicals Specialties

• Deactivation
TUDelft TUDelft Improved processes

What is it good for?

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TUDelft:
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photocatalysis in monoliths
• Water m
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• Nanotechnology less energy consumption
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 Catalysts Approach Catalyst/Reactor Selection
How to apply efficiently?
Do you remember ?
Krishna & Sie
Strategies for Multiphase Reactor Selection Chem. Engng. Sci. 49 (1994) 4029
Liquid Gas
Level I Catalyst design

Solid
Level II Reactant and energy injection strategies
Membrane

A+B C
Level III Hydrodynamic flow regimes

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Catalysis in multiphase systems Combination possible?

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Typical G-
G-L-S reactors Structure in Catalyst-
Catalyst-Reactor
Bubble slurry column reactor Fixed trickle bed reactor
Liquid Gas
Regular arrangement/packing

Decouples:
Gas Liquid
• chemistry
high η η< 1 • molecular transport processes
isothermal plug flow – high productivity
moderate transfer
safety high catalyst load - separation
• hydrodynamics
backmixed pressure drop
solids separation liquid distribution

Improvements?
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 Application of Monoliths
Gas phase environmental applications mostly
– Automotive catalytic converters
– Flue gas treatment (DeNO
(DeNOx)
– Air treatment
» ozone decomposition in air planes Netherlands only:
» VOC >600000 /yr Sold!

VOC unit

Matsumoto et al., 1993 High throughput

US 5266543
Low pressure drop
DeNOx unit
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Process essentials • Productivity

• Selectivity

Catalyst amount
Intrinsic Kinetics
Inhibition
Slow Fast
reaction reaction
Mass transport
Diffusivity
Diffusion length
External surface area
Optimization:
• wall thickness
• channel size
• pore structure
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