The Yin and Yang in the Development of Catalytic Processes: Catalysis Research and Reaction Engineering

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 54; no. 11; pp. 3222 - 3239
• Main Authors: Prieto, Gonzalo, Schüth, Ferdi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY‐VCH Verlag 09.03.2015; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Catalysis; catalyst design; Catalysts; Chemical reactors; heterogeneous catalysis; industrial chemistry; Methyl alcohol; Propylene; reaction engineering; Reactor design; Reactors; Synthesis; reaction engineering; industrial chemistry; heterogeneous catalysis; catalyst design
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201409885

For the implementation of commercial catalytic processes, catalyst development and reactor design and engineering need to go hand‐in‐hand. As both fields are mutually interdependent, a co‐evolution of catalysts and chemical reactors has historically been the right path towards successful, large‐scale technologies. Over the 150 years of its existence, the contributions of BASF to the development of several commercial catalytic processes constitute perfect illustrations of this necessary and synergetic interplay between catalyst science and reactor engineering. A synergetic interplay: Catalysis is a key research field within BASF. Successful industrial chemistry is always the result of a combination of catalyst and process development. The interplay of catalyst chemistry and reaction engineering is discussed for processes such as the sulfuric acid production, ammonia synthesis, methanol synthesis, fluid catalytic cracking, and direct epoxidation of propylene.