Page 94 - Academic Press Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology 3rd Chemical Engineering

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Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology EN002C-86 May 17, 2001 20:36

492 Catalysis, Industrial

a catalyst. It is highly competitive and must be profitable. TABLE I Common Industrial Catalysts
The scope of industrial catalysis includes catalyst inven-
Refinery catalysts
tion, theory, development, physical properties, poisoning,
Catalytic cracking Zeolites, silica-alumina
replacement schedules and techniques, regeneration, dis-
Reforming Pt/Re on alumina
posal, and competitive trends.
Alkylation HF or H 2 SO 4
Industrial catalysts are commonly divided into petro-
Hydrotreating NiO/MoO 3 ; CoO/MoO 3
leum, chemical, polymerization, and environmental cata- on alumina
lyst segments of the market. Companies seek to leverage Hydrocracking Pt on zeolite or alumina
their expertise in surface chemistry and materials science Hydrodesulfurization NiO/MoO 3 ; CoO/MoO 3
to develop products and systems that, in turn, improve on alumina
customers’ products. Environmental catalysts
New and improved catalysts are central to the competi- Automobile emissions Pt/Pd/Rh on alumina
tiveness of individual products, companies, industries, and Hydrocarbon emissions Pt/Pd on alumina
countries. Improved catalysts are often the lowest invest- Claus Alumina
ment cost route to feedstock and energy savings. Catalysts Polymerization
reduce costs by increasing the selectivity for a product Polyethylene (Phillips) CrO 3 on silica
and/or allowing a process to operate at lower temperature Polyethylene (Ziegler-Natta) AlR 3 , TiCl 3 , MgCl 2 + other,
or pressure. The catalyst industry has recently undergone Metallocene
globalization, consolidation, restructuring, and downsiz- Polypropylene Metallocene, Ziegler-Natta
ing which affects catalyst development and marketing. Polyvinyl chloride Organic peroxides
Industrial catalysis is truly technology-based and market- Polystyrene Benzoyl peroxide
driven. Polybutadiene AlR 3 , TiCl 3
Polyformaldehyde BF 3
Polyphenylene oxide Cu(I) or Mn(II) with amines
I. IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL Polycarbonates AlCl 3
CATALYSIS Chemical catalysts
Acetylene hydrogenation Ni on alumina (sulfided)
A. Economics Pd on alumina (CO-poisoned)
Acrylnitrile Noble metals/C or Ni
Catalyst sales are a $10 billion per year industry. Catalysts
Alcohols from esters CuCr 2 O 4
effect on the economy is much larger if the value of the
Amines from nitriles Raney Ni
products formed from catalyzed reactions is also counted.
Ammonia Fe 3 O 4 /Al 2 O 3 /K 2 O melt
An estimated 90% of plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuti-
Butene from butane NiO/Al 2 O 3
cals, fuels, and other consumer products are made using
Carbon monoxide shift Fe 2 O 3 /Cr 2 O 3
catalysts (Table I).
(high temp.)
The catalyst industry has grown from its beginnings in
Carbon monoxide shift CuO/ZnO
the early 1900s at a rate paralleling the increase in the (low temp.)
United States gross national product. Catalysis has been a Desulfurization ZnO
major factor in decisions to design, construct, and operate Ethylene oxide Ag on support
plants to produce new products. In the United States over Formaldehyde Fe(MoO 4 ) 3
7000 different products worth an estimated $375 billion Hydrogenated oils Ni in oil
per year are produced via industrial catalysis. Maleic anhydride V 2 O 5
Employment in industrial catalysis is primarily at cata- Methanation Ni or Ru on alumina
lyst, chemical, and oil companies. However, catalysis is a Methanol (high pressure) ZnCr 2 O 4
highly diversified field and a wide variety of profession- Methanol (low pressure) Cu-chrome-Zn
als are employed by the industry. The catalysts themselves Nitric acid Pt/Rh gauze
are specialty products requiring the application of science, Oxychlorination of ethylene CuCl 2 /KCl/Al 2 O 3
engineering, and proprietary art. Paraffin dehydrogenation Pt/Al 2 O 3 (S-poisoned)
Major innovations in the chemical and petroleum indus- Phthalic anhydride V 2 O 5
tries have involved breakthroughs in catalyst technology. Steam reforming NiO/AlO
Aneworimprovedcatalystisoftenthebasisforacompeti- Sulfuric acid V 2 O 5 /K 2 O/SiO 2
tivemanufacturingcostadvantage.Sourcesofcostsavings