Seminar Report

A SEMINAR REPORT
ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CATALYSTS:
TRENDS AND OUTLOOK
SUBMITTED BY
Aravind Menon
Roll No : 310028
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Dr . Kiran D. Patil
Department Of Petrochemical Engineering

MAEERs MAHARASHTRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Kothrud, Pune 411 038
2017-2018
MAHARASHTRA ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING AND
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHS
MAHARASHTRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,PUNE
DEPARTMENT OF PETROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that
Aravind Menon (310028)
of T. E. Petrochemical successfully completed seminar in
ENVIRONMENTAL CATALYSTS:TRENDS AND OUTLOOK
to my satisfaction and submitted the same during the academic year 2017-
2018 towards the partial fulfillment of degree of Bachelor of Engineering
in Petrochemical Engineering of Pune University under the Department of
Petrochemical Engineering , Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune.
Dr. Kiran D. Patil Prof. Mr. Datta B. Dandge

(Seminar Guide) (HOD Petrochemical Engineering)
Place: Pune Date:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the cooperation given
by Prof. atta B. Dandge, HOD (Department of Petrochemical Engineering) and need
a special mention for all the motivation and support.
I am deeply indebted to my guide Dr . Kiran D. Patil for completion of this sem-

inar for which he has guided and helped me going out of the way.
For all efforts behind the Seminar report, I would also like to express my sincere
appreciation to staff of department of Petrochemical Engineering, Maharashtra Insti-
tute of Technology ,Pune for their extended help and suggestions at every stage.
Aravind Menon
(Exam Seat No:T150027128)
i
Contents
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 General Catalyst Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) of NOx :A Specific Example 8

2.1 Introduction to SCR for DeNOx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.1.1 The SCR Catalyst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3 Role in Promoting Sustainable Industrial Chemistry 11

3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2 Catalysis in Waste Minimization and Emissions Cleanup . . . . . . . 13
3.3 Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4 Catalytic Water Remediation Technologies 18

4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.2 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.3 Future Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5 Environmental Catalysis as a Driver for Innovation 24

5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5.2 Recent Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.3 Promising Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6 Conclusion 27
BIBLIOGRAPHY 28
ii
List of Figures
1.1 The tree of the role of catalysis in promoting environment. . . . . . 2
1.2 Worldwide catalyst market expectations by general industry segment. 3
1.3 Schematic drawing of porous structure showing diffusion reaction lead-
ing to formation of Product. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1 Crystal structures of TiO2 (a) anatase, (b) rutile, and (c) brookite. . 10
3.1 Examples of Environmental Catalytic Processes and the Catalysts Used 12
3.2 Examples of new eco-efficient catalytic processes . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.1 The global water budget, showing the breakdown of the worlds fresh-
water supply. Data from Shiklomanov, 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
iii
Abstract
Environmental catalysis has continuously grown in importance over the last

2 decades not only in terms of the world wide catalyst market, but also as a driver
of advances in the whole area of catalysis. The development of innovative environ-
mental catalysts is also the crucial factor towards the objective of developing a new
sustainable industrial chemistry. In the last decade, considerable expansion of the
traditional area of environmental catalysis (mainly NOx removal from stationary and
mobile sources, and VOC conversion) has also occurred. Therefore, a significant
change occurred in the last decade in the area of interest of environmental catalysts
and in the modality of approaching the research. This implies the necessity for re-
examination of the whole area of environmental catalysis in order to determine future
directions of research and identify the most critical issues to address, but also the
need for fundamental and applied research.
Keywords: NOx ; Volatile organic compound; Catalysis; Environment; Water
Remediation
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Environmental catalysis refers to catalytic technologies for reducing emissions of en-

vironmentally unacceptable compounds. Problems addressed in regard to these cat-
alytic cleanup technologies are mobile emission control, NOx removal from stationary
sources, sulfur compounds and VOC (volatile organic compound) conversion, liq-
uid and solid waste treatment (polymers and other solid waste), and greenhouse gas
abatement or conversion.
Catalysis is a key technology to provide realistic solutions to many environmental
issues, but is also an important marketing opportunity. Currently the world market
for catalysts is about 9 billion USD, about a third of which involves environmental
catalysis. Fig. 1.1 shows the expectations for growth in the worldwide catalyst mar-
ket through the year 2005, by general industry segment. Expectations for growth
in the environmental catalysis area are indeed high. The US NIST White Paper on
Catalysis and Biocatalysis of 1999 indicates environmental catalysis as being among
the top five areas of US industry which combine technology challenges and economic
benefits. In addition, there are a number of critical emerging scientific platforms in
the area of environmental catalysis which are expected to have a high inter-industry
impact.
Environmental catalysis also encompasses the application of catalysis for new eco-
compatible refinery, chemical or non-chemical catalytic processes, catalytic technolo-
gies for minimization of waste, and new catalytic routes to valuable products without
the formation of undesirable pollutants. Energy-efficient catalytic technologies and
processes (catalytic combustion, catalysis in fuel cells, catalytic devices for using re-
newable energy sources like solar energy or biomass), catalysis in the reduction of the
environmental impact of transport (not only use of catalysts in emissions control, but
also inside the engine to improve combustion, on the radiator to abate ozone, etc.),
and catalysis use in refineries to produce new fuels (produce ultra-low sulfur fuels,
reformulate fuel, upgrading heavy or not used fractions to produce clean fuels, etc.)
1
Seminar Environmental Catalysis
Figure 1.1: The tree of the role of catalysis in promoting environment.
also fall within the definition of environmental catalysts. Other areas are the use
of catalysts for user-friendly technologies (e.g., to develop intelligent or self-cleaning
materials) and the reduction of indoor pollution (conversion of ozone, formaldehyde
and other organic indoor pollutants, but also photocatalytic antibacterial air purifi-
cation), and catalytic technologies for the decontamination of polluted sites (soil and
water remediation, including areas contaminated by military actions).
Historically, the interest of researchers working in the area of environmental catal-

ysis was initially focused mainly on NOx control (mobile and stationary sources), and
sulfur and VOC abatement, as indicated by the prevailing contributions in this area at
the first meetings [13]. Scientific interest progressively then moved from the cleanup
approach to the other cited subjects. However, recently new problems and questions
have renewed research activity in the area of catalytic cleanup technologies. Three
main driving forces may be cited: (i) the need to expand catalytic technologies from
gaseous emissions to the treatment of liquid emissions and solid waste, (ii) the need
for new post-treatment devices for mobile sources and (iii) the necessity of reconsider-
ing post-treatment technologies in the perspective of process or systems integration.
Therefore, a significant change occurred in the last decade in the area of interest of
environmental catalysts and in the modality of approaching the research. This im-
plies the necessity for re-examination of the whole area of environmental catalysis in
MIT, Pune 2 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

order to determine future directions of research and identify the most critical issues
to address, but also the need for fundamental and applied research.
Graph.png
Figure 1.2: Worldwide catalyst market expectations by general industry segment.
1.1 Scope
Catalysis has been traditionally associated with chemical and refinery production.
Catalytic converters for treatment of car emissions constituted the first massive use of
catalysis outside chemical and refinery production, greatly contributing in the spread
of knowledge on the benefits of catalysis for improving the quality of the environment
and life. In recent years, catalytic environmental technologies have been rapidly ex-
panded to several new areas offering new opportunities: (i) for a range of industrial
sectors traditionally far from the use of catalysis and (ii) in user-friendly devices to
improve the quality of life and the indoor environment. The plenary lecture of the
workshop given by P. Landri and M. Berndt (Engelhard) focused on the market needs
and trends for non-standard environmental catalysis and on the fundamental scien-
tific and technical questions opened by these kinds of applications. Non-standard
applications are a fast increasing market with respect to the consolidated traditional
areas (automotive emissionscars, motorcycles, buses, trucks and service vehicles and
industrial stationary emissionsco-generation and gas turbine-based power generation
facilities, biomass fired boilers, process industries, soil remediation applications). Non-
standard applications often require a more flexible and customized approach, and low
per unit costs. Interesting examples are: (i) thin-walled stainless steel plates coated
with a catalytic layer to be applied as hydrogen recombiners (to avoid the possibility

that large amounts hydrogen be released as fall-out inside the reactor containment,
with explosion risks; the same technology can be applied to rechargeable batteries,
toothbrushes and other household products, and to safety devices in chemical reac-
tors); (ii) ceramic honeycomb or metal ring-nets coated with catalysts to be applied in
self-cleaning household ovens (to eliminate grease drops, CO and noxious fumes dur-
ing pyrolytic processes; a similar technology can be applied to rapid cook residential
ovens, restaurant chain driven charbroilers, air quality improvement in other commer-
cial applicationsbakery, fishery, etc.), and (iii) ozone smog reducers (radiators coated
with catalysts to convert ozone to O2; the same or similar technology is applied to
filters or forced-air systems, air conditioning ducts of an aircraft, specific equipment
to be added to air conditioning condensers and heat pumps, ozone converters in jet
aircrafts, in office equipment, etc.).
The cited examples show some interesting concepts which are worth emphasizing:
Structured catalysts
Structured catalysts, in the form of ceramic or metallic monoliths (often with a cus-
tomized design) are necessary in these non-standard applications. This is related to
the necessity for a low pressure drop and rapid heating, but also for the need of having
a catalytic device which can be easily substituted. The necessity of having sometimes
special forms as well as increasing gassolid contact, even though maintaining a low
pressure drop, stimulates research on alternative structured supports. Glass fiber
panels [5] can be an interesting example in this direction. They are characterized
by better efficiencies of gassolid contact with respect to ceramic monoliths, low void
fraction of the catalyst, and high flexibility to be adapted to different geometries. Ac-
tive catalytic component dispersion and thermal stability, however, must be improved
Purification of H2 to be used in proton exchange fuel cells (PEFCs)
Another application of low temperature CO oxidation catalysts is in the purification

of H2 to be used in proton exchange fuel cells (PEFCs). The presence of concen-
trations of CO higher than about 100 ppm poisons the Pt electrocatalyst of the fuel
cell, but H2 produced on board by steam or autothermal reforming of conventional
fuels such as natural gas, gasoline or methanol followed by water gas shift conversion
produces a mixture containing typically 1or more. An efficient CO oxidation cata-
lyst is thus necessary which should be highly selective, because H2 oxidation should
be minimized. In addition, catalysts for this purpose must be resistant to CO2 and

H2O deactivation. Supported noble metal catalysts and in particular supported gold
nanoparticles on transition metal oxides show interesting performances as discussed
in the contributions of Grisel and Nieuwenhuys (Leiden University, The Netherlands)
and Avgouropoulos et al. (ICE/HT and University of Patras, Greece).
Other Applications
Research on non-standard applications of environmental catalysts has mainly been

carried out in catalyst producer companies, driven by customer needs. Academic
interest in this area has often been limited, mainly due to the lack of specific funds
for research. Consequently, there is a lack of fundamental background knowledge on
the specific problems, but also the lack of a generalized approach in searching more
systematically for possible applications. On the other hand, the public sensibility
on the potential advantages of catalysis (lack of visibility of catalysis) is low. Being
research mainly customer-driven (see above), it is evident that many potential areas
of application of environmental catalysts are not explored and there is the need for
public incentives to overcome this situation. Other examples of non-standard appli-
cations of environmental catalysts include various household applications [7], such as
(i) water purifier catalysts (based on MnO2 supported on charcoal fibers) for Cl2 and
HClO removal, (ii) catalytic hair cutters and mosquito killers, (iii) deodorization ap-
paratus for refrigerators, (iv) domestic catalytic combustors, (v) catalytic lighters for
outdoor use, (vi) portable kerosene heaters and portable warmers and (vii) catalytic
deodorization systems (e.g., to eliminate odors in toilets).
1.2 General Catalyst Concepts

When considering the catalyst for a particular reaction, there are many things to
take into account since the actual catalytic process involves several length scales:
from the molecular level reaction dynamics to the nanoparticulate catalyst to the
macroscopic reactor. The catalyst as a whole typically consists of an active phase
(nanoparticulate metal or metal oxide particles) often accompanied by a promoter
species (also typically a metal or metal oxide particle) both supported on a porous
carrier (micrometer-sized agglomerates of a large surface area material). The specific
chemistry of the reaction usually takes place on the active phase surface. Here, the
reactant molecules bind to the catalyst surface and participate in the formation of
a product which is subsequently separated from the catalyst without changing the
catalyst form. There are several approaches that can be taken to gain insight into
what is occurring at the molecular level.

Figure 1.3: Schematic drawing of porous structure showing diffusion reaction leading to
formation of Product.
The reaction fundamentals/mechanisms on this scale are important to understand

and can be studied using several approaches such as molecular reaction dynamics [5],
surface science techniques as well as theoretical modeling, to name a few. The behav-
ior of the nanosized active components is dependent on their size, shape, composition,
and surface properties. But these active components do not act in isolation since they
are supported on a carrier material whose surface properties and pore structure also
play a critical role, particularly in the interaction with and distribution of the active
phase. Figure 1.3 shows a schematic diagram of how the active phase could sit on a
porous support. Also shown is an idealized view as to how the reactants might inter-
act with the catalyst (now defined as the active phase plus the support) and form the
product of interest. All of the properties (i.e., the physical and chemical properties
of the active phase and the support) just described work together, rarely in isolation,
and impact the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability.
It is therefore important to study these properties in order to gain insight into

how they can be optimized and lead to optimum catalytic performance. Obtaining
a catalyst structure-activity relationship allows for access to this insight and can be
achieved through a range of approaches. Starting with idealized catalytic surfaces
studied under well-controlled conditions, insight into intrinsic materials properties is
obtainable [6]. This can be done using various combinations of spectroscopy, mi-
croscopy, surface science techniques (i.e., X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),
Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), low en-
ergy electron diffraction (LEED), reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED),
temperature programmed desorption (TPD)), and theoretical calculations. These fun-

damental starting points act as guides in predicting reactions mechanisms and locating
active sites [2,7,8]. The next step is attempting to understand what is occurring under
real reaction conditions. In situ [9] characterization of catalysts under actual working
conditions is the ideal next step for studying the reactions, if that route is available.

Chapter 2
Selective Catalytic Reduction

(SCR) of NOx :A Specific Example
2.1 Introduction to SCR for DeNOx

This reaction is the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrous oxides (NOx) using
ammonia (NH3) as a reductant. The SCR process was first patented in 1957 by the
US corporation, Engelhard (later bought by BASF). Commercial production began
with a Japanese company, IHI Corporations,in the late 1970s, followed by pilot plant
tests in the US around 1985 [10,11]. Today, catalystsare produced for this reaction
by catalyst companies such as Haldor Topse A/S, BASF, Hitachi, and others. Ni-
trogen oxides encompass various forms, but of main interest are N2O and nitrogen
monoxides (NOx). NOx is comprised of NO and NO2 gases and is a major com-
ponent of air pollution, particularly acid rain, tropospheric ozone formation, smog,
and stratospheric ozone depletion [10,12,13]. The main sources of NOx are fossil fuel
combustion processes in motor vehicles and stationary power plants [10,1214]. During
these processes atmospheric nitrogen is oxidized as shown in the following reaction
equations [12]:
N 2(g) + O2(g)− > 2N O(g), (2.1)
N O(g) + 1/2O2(g)− > N O2(g). (2.2)
The goal of SCR is then to reduce these NOx species back to molecular nitro-
gen.Although the catalytic decomposition of NO is thermodynamically favored, the
activation for decomposition is very high (364 kJ/mol), requiring a catalyst to lower
this barrier [12,14]. However, the catalyst must be accompanied by a reducing agent,
8
such as NH3 (hydrocarbons are also used, but are not as effective)otherwise the reac-
tion proceeds too slowly. The overall SCR reaction is thus represented by the following
stoichiometry:
N H3(g) + 4N O(g) + O2(g)− > 4N 2(g) + 6H2O(g). (2.3)
This reaction implies complete conversion to N2 which is, in general attainable with
the best catalysts, depending on their selectivity as well as the amount of NH3 added
to the reaction [15]. The ratio of NH3/NO impacts the degree to which NOx is
converted [15]. If NH3 is added in excess, this could lead to the possibility for un-
desirable NH3 slip. This requires the addition of yet another catalyst, one for the
selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) of ammonia, to oxidize any excess ammonia to
N2 prior to release into the atmosphere. In the SCR reaction, by-product formation,
such as N2O, occurs on less selective catalyst when NH3 is converted through alter-
nate reaction pathways, i.e., through oxidation by oxygen as opposed to NO. It is, of
course, important that the conversion to N2 be faster than any side reactions.
2.1.1 The SCR Catalyst

There are many aspects to take into account when considering the optimum catalyst
for a reaction. That is certainly also the case here. The interplay between the catalyst
properties (composition, size, surface characteristics, active phase distribution, sup-
port structure, active phase-support interactions) and the reactants (NO and NH3)
is critical. Studying these aspects is fundamental to obtaining insight into the mech-
anism(s) and kinetics of the reaction. This information also aids in determining the
active site of the catalyst . Many catalysts have been studied for the SCR reaction
such as Fe or Cu zeolites, Mn oxides, Fe, V, or Cr supported on either TiO2, Al2O3,
or even SiO2.
However,focus on one in particular: V2O5 supported on TiO2 and promoted by WO3.
This is the most commonly used catalyst industrially and perhaps the most studied
system for the SCR reaction . This catalyst thus serves as a good example illustrating
how surface science together with in situ measurements can determine the active sites
and subsequently develop a mechanism or catalytic cycle for the reaction. In this
catalyst, the V2O5 is the catalytically active component and is accompanied by a
promoter, WO3, both supported on TiO2. The TiO2 has the anatase form which has
a tetragonal crystal structure as shown in Figure 2.1d shows the other forms of TiO2,
namely rutile and brookite (the rarest form of the three), which have tetragonal and
orthorhombic crystal structures, respectively.

The main difference between the anatase and rutile phases is that the TiO2 6 octa-
hedral subunits are positioned differently. For anatase, they are connected by their
vertexes and for rutile by their edges. But the most important difference between the
rutile and anatase phases is the surface area. Anatase has a much larger surface area,
which is very important in catalysis in general, and specifically for SCR.
Figure 2.1: Crystal structures of TiO2 (a) anatase, (b) rutile, and (c) brookite.

Chapter 3
Role in Promoting Sustainable

Industrial Chemistry
3.1 Introduction
Industrial chemical processes from the beginning have moved towards a more efficient
use of resources and an improvement of selectivity, because both aspects correspond
to an improvement in process economics. Catalysis was a fundamental component
of this innovation and therefore almost all new developments in catalytic industrial
processes fall within the area of interest of environmental catalysis. Some relevant
examples are reported in Table 3.1.
Eco-efficient processes in clean and unconventional media are one of the main areas
of possible industrial innovation for environmental catalysis and sustainable (green)
chemistry. Sanders et al. (University of Karlsruhe, Germany) reported on the behav-
ior of sulfated zirconia (SZ) catalysts in the isomerization of butane in supercritical
conditions. The behavior of SZ catalysts in n-butane isomerization is well known, but
industrial application is hindered by fast deactivation due to cooking. Instead, using
the catalyst under supercritical conditions (butane itself is the supercritical medium)
makes it possible to maintain stable activity for a long time, due to the improved sol-
ubility power of the supercritical fluid for the coke precursor. Process simplification
is a challenge for all industrial syntheses, because it allows lowering of energy use,
reduction of waste, and improvement of safety and process economics. Phenol is a
large volume chemical because of its applications in various polymer syntheses. The
conventional and commercial route is a three step process via cumene and cumene
hydroperoxide.
The alternative eco-compatible possibility is the direct synthesis by benzene hy-

droxylation made either in the gas phase using N2O as the oxidant and Fe/ZSM-5
11
Figure 3.1: Examples of Environmental Catalytic Processes and the Catalysts Used
catalysts (Table 3.1) or H2O2 in the liquid phase using Ti- or Fe-zeolites (Kustov et
al., Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russia). Another example of possible
process simplification and improvement of eco-compatibility in an industrial synthe-
sis of a large volume chemical is the gas phase selective oxidation of isobutene to
methacrylic acid (Cavani et al., University of Bologna, Italy). However, the largest
potential for rapid industrial application of novel eco-compatible catalytic synthesis is
in the area of fine or specialty chemicals, because large-scale production also requires
large investments. Various possibilities of using catalytic synthesis in fine chemical
production were reported by Barrault et al. (LACCO, Poitiers, France). Tichit et al.
(Laboratoire de Matriaux Catalytiques des Montpellier, France) showed the possibil-
ity of one pot synthesis of dihydrocinnamaldehyde from benzaldehyde and propanal
on Pd supported on a hydrotalcite catalyst. The process represents a substantial im-
provement over the three step conventional process which produces high amounts of
effluents and salts. Kholdeeva et al. (Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Russia; Silesian
University of Technology, Poland) showed a new environmentally friendly method for
the production of 2,3,4-trimethylbenzoquinone using Ti-containing mesoporous ma-
terials and H2O2 which avoids the formation of toxic and corrosive wastes. Other
examples of one pot syntheses were given by Hlderich [4]. Hydrotalcite-based cata-
lysts were also used as solid base catalysts in the alkylation of m-cresol with methanol
(Cavani et al., University of Bologna and EniTecnologie, Italy) in order to develop
cleaner processes alternative to homogeneous process. Lee et al. (Pohang University
of Science and Technology, Korea) discussed the catalytic steps in the green synthesis

of ibuprofen. Similarly, Trifir et al. (University of Bologna, Italy) discussed different

aspects of the catalytic steps in the greener synthesis of -caprolactam. A greener
synthesis of Nylon-6 is now possible . The use of catalytic technologies may promote
not only lowering of the environmental impact in chemical production, but also in
other production areas. An example is given in the work of Kuznetsov et al. (In-
stitute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Krasnoyarsk, Russia) who reported a
new catalytic process for a sustainable chemistry of cellulose production from wood
biomass. Therefore, catalysis offers relevant possibilities for sustainable (green) chem-
ical and non-chemical production [5]but an intensified effort is necessary for better
identification of all opportunities, especially in non-traditional areas of catalysis.
3.2 Catalysis in Waste Minimization and Emis-

sions Cleanup
Catalytic technologies have been traditionally applied to the purification of mobile
and stationary emissions, but recently research has opened in new areas. Increasing
attention has been given to the use of catalysis in polymer reuse and conversion, be-
cause the question of recycling or converting polymers has become a critical issue in
recent years. Catalysis allows obtaining faster conversion and especially better (due
to higher selectivity) quality of the products. Various contributions were presented at
the workshop on this topic. Ali and Garforth (UMIST, Manchester, UK) reported on
the different possible strategies for recycling polymer wastes and the role of catalysis
to convert them to good quality fuels. Fernandes et al. (Federal University of Rio
Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil) showed the role of SAPO-37 zeolite in the catalytic
degradation of high density polyethylene. Serrano et al. (Rey Juan Carlos University,
Mstoles, Spain) pointed out both the catalytic and reaction engineering aspects for
the conversion of low-density polyethylene. Cardona and Corma (UPV-CSIC, Valen-
cia, Spain) evidenced the possibility of using spent FCC catalysts for the catalytic
cracking of plastic waste. Finally, Araujo et al. (UNESP, Araraquara and Federal
University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil) discussed the role of MCM-41 cat-
alysts in the conversion of low-density polyethylene. Several contributions focused on
the question of acid-catalyzed cracking of polymer waste to produce fuels, while none
attempted the possibility of catalytic depolymerization, a better challenge towards
the objective of polymer waste minimization and energy loss minimization. The area
of use of catalysts in polymer conversion is thus an area of growing importance, but
there are several basic fundamental questions that must be addressed regarding the
nature of the catalyst and reactor technologies to be used. Furthermore, a broaden-
ing of the possibilities of using catalysts in these applications (e.g., basic catalysts

for depolymerization instead of acid catalysts for cracking) is also necessary. There
are other important areas for application of catalytic technologies for solid waste con-
version, such as (i) in the treatment of sludge (generally industrial sludge, but also
for safe disposal of active sludge, a problem of increasing importance in Europe be-
cause the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive has considerably limited the
possibility of landfill disposal), (ii) the recycle of solid waste from chemical and re-
finery productions and (iii) in the treatment of fugitive emissions produced in solid
waste treatments. Very few data are present in the literature on these questions,
but their relevance will increase in the future. Catalytic technologies in emissions
cleanup (NOx or SOx elimination from mobile or fixed sources, VOC control) is one
of the traditional areas of use of environmental catalysts, and considerable research
is still being carried out on this topic. The main area of interest in recent years,
well represented at the workshop, includes the development and testing of catalysts
for (i) NOx removal in lean burn or diesel engine emissions, (ii) catalytic combustion
and (iii) VOC removal. The research attention was mainly focused on the study of
the reaction mechanisms and the identification of the nature of the active sites. Also
understanding the unsteady-state behavior has become increasingly important, due
to the key role of this aspect in understanding the behavior of oxygen-storage com-
ponents in three-way catalysts (TWCs) and the behavior of NOx storage-reduction
(NOxSR) catalysts, the most promising solution to solve the issue of NOx removal in
light-duty diesel engine emissions. Different from conventional steady-state catalysts,
these catalysts work continuously under periodic changes in feed composition from
lean conditions (where NOx is stored on the catalyst in the form of a nitrate) and
rich conditions (where the stored NOx species are reduced to N2 by the H2, CO and
hydrocarbons present in the emissions). The interesting concept on NOxSR catalysts
is the possibility of using a catalytic material with the double function of acting as a
sorption material and a catalyst with periodic switching between the two functions.
Another example of this concept is shown by the use of zeolite-based catalysts for
VOC removal in rotating equipment. When the VOC concentration is low and the
temperature of the emissions is also low (a typical example is the gas emissions from
painting processes), the heating of large volumes of emissions to the temperature re-
quired for catalytic activity is expensive (if the VOC concentration is low, the heat
of combustion cannot maintain the process autothermically). A solution is the use of
a rotating monolith coated with zeolite-based catalysts which act as a sorbent when
the monolith is in contact with the gas stream and as a catalyst in the other part of
the monolith where the regeneration occurs. This is another example of the innova-
tive and multifunctional possibilities of catalytic materials explored by environmental
catalysis. Another example of this concept, but applied to the removal of pollutants
in water (abatement of chloroorganics by adsorption on a bed of Pd/active carbon

and in situ periodic regeneration by a reducing treatment) was given in the key note
lecture of Y.M. Sheintuch (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel).
3.3 Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The recent European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) of the European com-
munity has further stimulated the need for research in using catalytic technologies
for greenhouse gas emissions control (CO2, methane, N2O, halogen compounds) [15].
This area is of increasing interest for the global effect of greenhouse emissions and for
the increasing pressure to find realistic solutions to the problem.
Various contributions on this subject were presented at the workshop, although
they addressed only part of the possible actions of catalysts in promoting the re-
duction of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the use of CO2 as a reactant in
reforming reactions was presented by Gronchi et al. (Polytechnic of Milan, Italy),
while Batiot-Dupeyrat et al. (LACCO, Poitiers, France) reported on the catalytic
reforming of methane with CO2. However, these reactions cannot be considG. ered
a technical solution to the problem of increasing CO2 emissions, due to the orders
of magnitude of difference in the dimensions of the problems. A novel reversible
sorbent for CO2 based on K2CO3/active carbon was presented by Okunev et al.
(Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Russia), but this cannot be considered a true cat-
alytic technology. There are various interesting possibilities in the area of photo- and
electro-catalytic conversion of CO2, but they have received little attention in the area
of environmental catalysis, differently from other areas such as that of electrochem-
istry. There are fundamental catalytic problems to be resolved in order to address
the question of practical and effective photo- or electro-catalytic conversion of CO2,
although this knowledge should be integrated in an interdisciplinary approach. In-
creased effort in this direction is desirable in the future. Various contributions focused
instead on the question of N2O removal from gaseous emissions. Generally, N2O can
be easily catalytically converted to N2 at high temperatures (above 500 C), but this
has proven to be uneconomical in many practical cases. Furthermore, the presence
of other gas phase components can considerably modify the reactivity. The ques-
tion in the development of catalysts for N2O conversion is thus not to develop only
novel catalysts, but catalysts having the required activity at the reaction tempera-
ture necessarily based on economic considerations and in the presence of the other
gas phase components in the emissions. In other words, the question of N2O removal
from gaseous emissions must be addressed with a clear reference to the practical cases.
An interesting example in this direction was given by Van den Brink and Verhaak

Figure 3.2: Examples of new eco-efficient catalytic processes
(ECN, The Netherlands) who presented the problematics of developing catalysts for
the combined removal of N2O and NOx in the nitric acid industry. Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts
are effective in this reaction when propane is added to the feed as a reductant, while
methane in not very effective. Combination of Fe-ZSM-5 and a DeNOx catalyst (based
on Co-ZSM-5) in a single reactor gives more than 80NOx from the tail gases of nitric
acid plants at 300 C. Higher pressures are beneficial for N2O and especially NOx
conversion.
Another contribution on the question of N2O reduction was given by Goncalves
and Figueiredo (University of Porto, Portugal). Various contributions on the question
of methane combustion were given at the workshop, but generally the central question
for application in the reduction of methane greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., low tem-
perature activity with traces of methane) was not addressed. Various contributions
focused on the use of non-traditional materials for methane oxidation, such as per-
ovskites. Ciambelli et al. (Universities of Salerno, Naples and Rome; Italy) reported
the behavior of LaAlFe perovskites for methane combustion. Perovskite-based mono-
lithic reactors for the combustion of methane can also be developed (Cimino et al.,
University of Naples and Instituto Ricerche sulla Combustione CNR, Italy). These

materials have been proven to be resistant in the presence of H2S and SO2 (Auer et
al., University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) or sulfur compounds present in natural
gas (Russo et al., Polytechnic of Turin, Italy) and were shown to be applicable for
the treatment of fugitive emissions from the iron and steel making industry (Alifanti
et al., University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). The area of catalytic technologies
for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is thus an area of growing importance,
but still the need for research on one hand and the possibilities offered by catalysts
on the other, must be better focused.

Chapter 4
Catalytic Water Remediation

Technologies
4.1 Introduction
Although water is abundant on Earth, with a volume of about 1400 million km3, only
a small fraction is fresh water, and of this, less than 1Unfortunately, water pollution
remains a pervasive threat. Inorganic materials enter the aquifers and the rivers in
the form of fertilizer run-off from fields, leachate from mines, and as a consequence
of acid rain. Perhaps even bigger is the threat to the water quality posed by organic
chemicals. Large amounts of synthetic organic pollutants, including industrial chem-
icals, dyes, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, are continuously
released and enter into natural water [1]. There is increasingly stringent control on
the quality of water. Control of water pollution includes preventing the source of
pollution, controlling and reducing the discharge of hazardous substances, nutrients,
and other pollutants into the aquatic system [2]. Hazardous pollutants can cause
immense harm due to their toxicity even at low concentrations. The carcinogenic,
mutagenic, and teratogenic properties of pollutants and their persistence in the en-
vironment are still targets of much needed research. Some elements such as copper,
zinc, manganese, boron, phosphorus, and selenium are essential for supporting aquatic
functions at low concentrations, but they pose problems when their concentration ex-
ceeds certain levels. Industries such as the food and beverage industry, chemical,
petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and refining industries, pulp and paper industry, and
the electronics industry [3] all contribute to the problem.
The conventional treatments usually include two groups: (i) isolation/separation

technologies based on physicochemical methods and (ii) transformation technologies
dominated by both chemical and microbiological/enzymatic methods [1]. Membrane
18
Figure 4.1: The global water budget, showing the breakdown of the worlds freshwater
supply. Data from Shiklomanov, 1993.
technologies used for waste stream treatment and recycling include reverse osmosis
(RO), microfiltration (MF), and ultrafiltration (UF) [4] Advanced oxidation processes
(AOPs) for the oxidation of organic pollutants are also employed with the use of
ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and UV radiation. Defined as near ambient temperature
and pressure water treatment processes which involve the generation of a very pow-
erful oxidizing agent such as hydroxyl radical (OH) in solution in sufficient quantity
to effective water purification [9], AOPs are applied for situations where conventional
oxidation techniques are insufficient because of the frequently slow process kinetics.
These processes can deal with refractory contaminants that withstand conventional
chemical oxidation in aqueous medium or are only partially oxidized to form stable
products that have themselves greater toxicity than the starting pollutants. AOPs
have been used in the water remediation of a wide range of pollutants, including phar-
maceutical drugs , antibiotics , aromatic compounds , ionic liquids [7], dyestuffs [6],
synthetic endocrine disruptors (bisphenols, alkylphenols, phthalates) [20], and so on.
Adsorption is a very common technique to remove organics from wastewaters.

Activated carbon is the adsorbent of choice due to its ready availability and low cost.

Organic compounds are adsorbed onto the carbon and the amount adsorbed depends
on the physical and chemical properties of the activated carbon such as surface area
and pore size, functional groups present at the surface. For example, adsorption of
phenols on activated carbons has been widely investigated [21]. The chemical nature
of the surface of activated carbon as well as its porous nature determines its adsorption
properties . The former is rated to be more important than porosity for liquid phase
adsorption. The surface of oxidized carbon contains mainly carboxyl and hydroxyl
groups which increase its affinity for water over that for phenol. Regeneration of
the spent adsorbent material can be a costly and intensive process . This has led to
an interest in developing alternative adsorbents for the removal of organic pollutants
from aqueous waste streams.
4.2 Applications
Remediation of groundwater contaminated by agricultural practices (nitrate and pes-
ticides, in particular), leakage of non-biodegradable compounds from underground
fuel tanks and pipelines, and accidental spills and leaking of cleaning solvents and
degreasers is becoming a major problem worldwide. Europes Environment: The re-
cent reports of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Dobris Assessment and
Sustainable use of Europes water? highlighted the question that water pollution and
deterioration of aquatic habitats are severely hampering the use of water for human
consumption and wildlife. Inadequate amounts or poor water quality create a conflict
between human demand for water and wider ecological needs.
It is estimated that the market for such technologies will double in the next 510
years, but that at the same time current available technologies are often inadequate to
meet both economic and ecological demands. Therefore, there are both ecological and
economic incentives to develop new technologies for water treatment and remediation.
Catalysis may play a critical role in the development of these novel technologies, but
this issue poses at the same time new challenges for catalysis. In water remediation,
the challenge is that the catalysts must be able to efficiently operate on-site, which
poses considerable constraints due to the fact that the technology must be compact
(to be moved from site to site) and easily manageable. Two major aspects of water
remediation technologies were discussed at the workshop: (i) elimination of nitrate
and pesticides from water contaminated by agricultural practices, and (ii) conversion
of MTBE in contaminated underground water. However, various additional contri-
butions were presented on the topics of (i) advanced catalytic wet oxidation tech-
nologies (of both organics and inorganics, such as ammonia), (ii) catalytic technolo-
gies of wastewater treatment by hydrotreating (including the key note lecture by M.

Sheintuch, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology) and (iii) photocatalytic wastewa-

ter purification (coupling photocatalysts and membranesUniversities of Calabria and
Palermo, Italyand using TiO2 photocatalysts for removal of cyanidesUniversity Rey
Juan Carlos, Spain). Contributions on nitrate catalytic reduction in UK water were
given by various research groups (Meytal and Sheintuch, Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology; Chadwick et al., Imperial College, London and University of Belfast, UK;
University of Venice, Italy; University of Poitiers, France; LACCO-CNRS of Poitiers,
France). The catalysts were all based on Pd modified by components such as tin or
copper, although different supports and reactor solutions were analyzed. However,
the fundamental question of the formation of ammonium ions as by-products which
should be less than 0.5 ppm for drinking water applications has not yet been resolved,
at least on a practical scale.
The question of the conversion of MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) in contami-

nated water using zeolite catalysts was instead studied by Centi et al. (University
of Messina, Italy). MTBE is a widely used gasoline additive, but its contamination
of both groundand surface-water has resulted in the ban of its use in California, re-
cently. MTBE water contamination derives from leaking of underground fuel tanks
and pipelines, tank overfilling and faulty construction at gas stations. While other
gasoline components are characterized by good biodegradability and low water solubil-
ity (thus gasoline release shows a fast natural attenuation and low migration index),
MTBE is very soluble in water (therefore, highly mobile in the ground water sys-
tem) and resistant to biodegradation. Zeolites like H-ZSM-5 are effective catalysts for
the room temperature conversion of MTBE in contaminated water to biodegradable
chemicals. When H-ZSM-5 zeolite is added to an aqueous solution containing MTBE,
there is fast initial adsorption after which slow decay begins with formation of alcohols
as main products (t-butyl alcohol and methanol). Data indicate the practical possi-
bility of using zeolites as catalysts for water remediation by MTBE contamination as
well as a guard bed around gasoline tanks. Water remediation technologies and in
general the entire area of the use of catalysts in wastewater purification is thus a topic
which will be of increasing importance in the future. In addition to the treatment of
wastewater from chemical productions, other relevant areas are the reduction of the
environmental impact of non-chemical (e.g., in the electronic, leather, tanning and
pulp/paper industries) and agro/food productions.
4.3 Future Scope

Natural zeolites are useful sorbents particularly for cations. They are a viable option
for the removal of ammonium ions from wastewater. The low cost of natural zeolites

permits for applications in permeable barriers. In other applications, zeolites can be

considered as an alternative sorbent to activated carbons. Zeolites have not only high
sorption capacity, but also good mechanical strength and thermal stability. They are
chemically resistant over a wide range of pH and the structures are only destroyed at
high pH and temperatures. In the sorption of volatile organic materials, regeneration
by heating is therefore a viable option. Modification with surfactants can convert
the ion-exchange property from cationic to anionic. The hydrophobic part of the
surfactant offers increased adsorption sites for neutral organic molecules. However,
naturally occurring zeolites are clay-like hydrophilic materials, and, as pointed out
above, they are primarily adsorbing cations. The biggest current application appears
to be the retention of radioactive elements such as 137Cs, particularly in point-of-use
treatment of domestic drinking water.
Synthetic zeolites have a much higher sorption capacity than the natural variants.
Their properties can be varied from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, and the pore size can
also be accurately controlled. These zeolites have a large commercial market in laun-
dry detergents, where they sequester polyvalent cations that otherwise contribute to
the water hardness, substituting the polyphosphates that had been used previously
with detrimental environmental effects. Synthetic zeolites are also widely used in
catalysis. However, catalysts are considered specialty chemicals, and the prize per kg
is far above that for a commodity, so that wide use as adsorbent in water treatment
applications will not be economically feasible. Zeolite-based catalysts may however
find applications in processes designed to treat highly contaminated industrial efflu-
ents before they are discharged into biological treatment plants. Photocatalysts for
wastewater treatment face different constraints from photocatalysts for water split-
ting or other energy conversion processes. Whereas in the latter case, the solar energy
drives an otherwise endothermic reaction, the photocatalyst for water treatment is
speeding up processes that are in principle thermodynamically downhill, e.g., the
complete combustion of an organic material with dissolved oxygen. The band gap
can therefore be relatively narrow, and 12 eV would be sufficient.
This implies that such environmental photocatalysts should be able to be driven

with the visible radiation which comprises the larger part of the solar spectrum and
is therefore abundantly available. The constraints are that the photocatalyst is in
contact with the drinking water, and therefore has to be absolutely non-toxic. The
material should be stable throughout the environmental conditions to which the pho-
tocatalyst may be exposed. This implies that the photocatalyst has to be stable over
a wide range of pH and operate consistently over temperatures from close to freezing
to perhaps 50 C. The different components in the material cannot be leached out by

the action of complexing agents such as the naturally occurring humic acids. The
number of studies that address these problems is still very limited. The material
should have the mechanical strength and the chemical properties to allow for regener-
ation, either by ion exchange, elution with a different solvent, or by thermal processes.
The perhaps biggest problem is the technical layout of a photo-catalytic reactor. The
cheapest source of radiation is solar light. Light can penetrate deeply into clear water,
but will be scattered and absorbed if the water is turbid. The catalytic reaction takes
place only at the surface between of the catalyst particles. Since the catalyst particles
absorb radiation effectively, the particle size is restricted to a few micrometers. Re-
lease of the photocatalyst as a fine powder may however lead to problems in catalyst
recovery. Immobilization of the active material on bigger carriers is advisable. This
will lead to transport limitations, a frequently overlooked problem which is however
outside the scope of the present review.
There are potentially many photocatalytic materials besides TiO2 that offer bet-
ter band structures. Cerium oxide, tungsten oxide, iron oxide, and many bismuth-
containing compounds absorb in the visible-light region and their photocatalytic ac-
tivity for a number of dye or single organic molecule has been tested. Since the low
quantum efficiency due to recombination of the photo-generated charge carriers has
been identified as the most urgent problem, much of the work reported so far has
concentrated on the synthesis of novel structures for efficient light harvesting and
charge separation. The synthesis, while based on a rational design approach, often
uses expensive reagents. These materials have generally been applied to only a few
selected test molecules. Notably, the majority of studies investigate the photobleach-
ing of dye molecules. There are few studies on mineralization efficiency, and even
fewer on the photocatalytic activity in multi-contaminant systems representative of
wastewater compositions. Much remains to be done to correlate the structure with
photoactivity and quantum yields.

Chapter 5
Environmental Catalysis as a
Driver for Innovation
5.1 Introduction
The extension of the use of catalysis outside the traditional fields together with the
basic problem that often in the environmental technologies it is not possible to choose
the optimal reaction conditions which are determined by energy and feed constraints
and/or conditions defined by upstream units, implies that a very innovative effort is
necessary to develop new catalytic materials, devices and solutions [8]. It is evident
that the entire field of heterogeneous catalysis as well as other industrial sectors will
benefit from this research effort, and not only the specific area of environmental catal-
ysis.
For example, the ordinary conditions for use of heterogeneous catalysts in chemical
syntheses are in the 200500 C temperature range, while environmental catalysts must
operate sometimes at lower temperatures (room or lower temperatures, e.g., in the
mentioned low temperature CO oxidation catalysts, in water purification technologies,
or in some nitrogen 8 G. Centi et al. / Catalysis Today 75 (2002) 315 oxides or VOC
abatement systems, being too expensive the heating of large volumes of effluents) or
at extremely high temperatures, 900 C or above (e.g., in catalytic combustion for
gas turbines). Very high temperatures require developing catalytic materials having
exceptional characteristics of stability and durability at high reaction temperatures.
Various contributions in the workshop addressed this question, such as those of (i)
Carroni et al. (ALSTOM Power, Switzerland) on the development of novel support
materials for catalytic combustion in power generation, (ii) Groppi et al. (Polytechnic
Milan, Italy) on understanding the reversible transformation of palladium in Pd-based
catalysts for gas turbine combustors and (iii) Isupova et al. (Boreskov Institute of
24
Catalysis, Russia) on honeycomb supported perovskite catalysts for high temperature

processes.
Low temperature activity implies the development of novel, very active catalytic
components or alternatively new ways to activate reactants or supply the energy re-
quired for the reaction. Some interesting advances in this direction were presented dur-
ing the workshop. Miessner et al. (Institut fr Umwelttechnologien in Berlin-Adlershof
and Siemens AG, Germany) reported the application of non-thermal plasma (NTP)
to assist catalytic cleaning of gas flows containing low concentrations of contaminants.
NTP can be produced by a dielectric discharge reactor generating chemically active
species, such as excited oxygen and nitrogen molecules, atoms and radicals like OH
and HO2 . Plasma assisted catalytic removal of NOx may occur at temperatures lower
than 100 C, an important achievement for developing low temperature (¡150 C) cat-
alysts for NOx reduction in diesel engine exhaust emissions, although the application
to mobile emissions (especially light-duty diesel engine cars) requires the resolution
of various technical problems.
5.2 Recent Developments

Barrault et al. (joint French contribution from LACCO, Poitiers; University of Paris;
Centre de Resources Technologique Plasma Lasers, Orlans; Brandt Cooking, Saint
Jean de la Ruelle) reported the combination of solid catalysts and dielectric barrier
discharges to promote low temperature activity, but in VOC abatement. The field
of application is generally the conversion of VOCs, but specific value can be found
in the removal of odorous or toxic chemicals present in room temperature environ-
ments or emissions, and generally, when the VOC concentration is below the content
to obtain an autothermic process. The use of alternative oxidants such as ozone is
another possible approach, as discussed by Ismagilov et al. (Boreskov Institute of
Catalysis, Russia). Supported MnO2 catalysts allow efficient conversion of toluene at
temperatures below 100 C, although catalyst deactivation a is a problem.
The question of ignition at room temperature of natural gas in order to develop

no NOx catalytic burners was addressed by Newson et al. (Paul Scherrer Institute,
Switzerland) who showed that hydrogen assisted combustion allows a room temper-
ature light off of methane and better control of hotspot temperatures which have a
critical effect on catalyst life. The question of promoting low temperature activity
is also central to the development of diesel particulate abatement devices. Various
contributions were given on this subject (e.g., by Moulijn et al., Delft University of
Technology, The Netherlands; Ciambelli et al., University of Salerno, Italy; Pisarello et

al., Sgo del Estero of Santa F, Argentina). Christensen and Rak (Dinex Filters Tech-
nology and ECN, The Netherlands) presented a novel concept of an electrochemical
reactor consisting of a highly porous, oxygen ion conducting electrolyte (ceriagadoline
mixture) covered by a catalytically active, electron conductive perovskite (lanthanium
strontium manganese perovskite) based electrode. The porous reactor structure acts
as a mechanical filter, trapping the soot particles from the exhaust gas. By polarizing
the reactor with an external power supply, the combustion process of the collected soot
particles can be forced to take place at low temperature, where the lower temperature
limit (250 C) is defined by the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte material.
5.3 Promising Aspects

The concept of an electrochemically modulated catalytic device can be applied not
only to promote low temperature activity, but also to develop systems having a vari-
able and tunable activity, because, depending on the potential applied to the elec-
trochemical reactor, the catalytic activity can be modulated. This allows developing
smart catalytic devices having a variable activity driven by a coupled sensor. As men-
tioned above, the feed composition in various environmental applications may rapidly
fluctuate. A temperature control is ineffective to follow these rapid fluctuations and
thus overall efficiency can be low in these situations. The smart catalytic device con-
cept is a potential solution to this problem, although research is in the beginning
stages. The general scientific interest in developing intelligent materials may stimu-
late research in this area.
These examples, although not exhaustive of all recent technological innovations in

the area of environmental catalysis, evidence the search for not-traditional solutions to
solve the demanding problems addressed by environmental catalysis. The knowledge
developed will have a positive impact on all the area of catalysis, but probably also a
high inter-industry impact due to the interdisciplinary approach of the research.

Chapter 6
Conclusion
The scientific and market interest for environmental catalysis has significantly ex-
panded in the last 2 decades, due to both the continuously increasingly more strin-
gent regulations on the quality of emissions and the environment, and the increasing
awareness of the central role that these catalysts play in the development of technolo-
gies to improve the quality of life and the environment. Certain New advances seen
over the last decade mentioned in this report are:
1. New eco-compatible refinery, chemical or non-chemical catalytic processes
2. Catalysis for greenhouse gas control.
3. Catalytic processes for sustainable chemistry.
4. Environmental catalysis as a driver for innovation.
The areas of interest of environmental catalysis have rapidly expanded, but at the
same time new challenges for catalysis given by these new applications have stimulated
research to find new innovative solutions and technologies which will benefit all areas
of catalysis as well other industries.
27
Bibliography
[1] WHO, World Health Organization news release, http://www.who.int/

mediacentre/news/releases/2017/world-healthday
[2] Steven L. Suib,”Catalysis for remediation and Environmental concerns.” in New

and future development in catalysis”.
[3] G. Centi , P. Ciambelli , S. Perathoner , Russo , Environmental catalysis: trends

and outlook. Catalysis Today 75 (2002) 315.
[4] P.-A. Deyris, C. Grison, ”Nature, Ecology and Chemistry: an unsual combina-
tion for a new green catalysis” in Ecocatalysis, Current Opinion in Green and
Sustainable Chemistry (2018).
[5] V. Escandea, C. Poullaina, G. Clava, E. Petitb, N. Masquelezb, P. Hesemannc,

C. Grisona, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental in Applied Catalysis B: Environ-
mental 210 (2017) 495503
[6] Futing Li, Youxin Li, Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical in Journal of
Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical 420 (2016) 254263
[7] R.J.Farrauto,R.M.Heck, Environmental catalysis into the 21st century in Catalysis

Today Volume 55, Issues 12, 5 January 2000, Pages 179-187
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A SEMINAR REPORT

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Department Of Petrochemical Engineering

MAHARASHTRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,PUNE

DEPARTMENT OF PETROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING

This is to certify that

Aravind Menon (310028)

of T. E. Petrochemical successfully completed seminar in

ENVIRONMENTAL CATALYSTS:TRENDS AND OUTLOOK

Dr. Kiran D. Patil Prof. Mr. Datta B. Dandge

Place: Pune Date:

I am deeply indebted to my guide Dr . Kiran D. Patil for completion of this sem-

2 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) of NOx :A Specific Example 8

3 Role in Promoting Sustainable Industrial Chemistry 11

4 Catalytic Water Remediation Technologies 18

5 Environmental Catalysis as a Driver for Innovation 24

1.1 The tree of the role of catalysis in promoting environment. . . . . . 2

1.2 Worldwide catalyst market expectations by general industry segment. 3

1.3 Schematic drawing of porous structure showing diffusion reaction lead-

ing to formation of Product. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3.1 Examples of Environmental Catalytic Processes and the Catalysts Used 12

3.2 Examples of new eco-efficient catalytic processes . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

water supply. Data from Shiklomanov, 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Environmental catalysis has continuously grown in importance over the last

Environmental catalysis refers to catalytic technologies for reducing emissions of en-

Figure 1.1: The tree of the role of catalysis in promoting environment.

Historically, the interest of researchers working in the area of environmental catal-

MIT, Pune 2 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

Figure 1.2: Worldwide catalyst market expectations by general industry segment.

MIT, Pune 3 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

Purification of H2 to be used in proton exchange fuel cells (PEFCs)

Another application of low temperature CO oxidation catalysts is in the purification

MIT, Pune 4 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

Research on non-standard applications of environmental catalysts has mainly been

1.2 General Catalyst Concepts

MIT, Pune 5 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

The reaction fundamentals/mechanisms on this scale are important to understand

It is therefore important to study these properties in order to gain insight into

MIT, Pune 6 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

MIT, Pune 7 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

Selective Catalytic Reduction

2.1 Introduction to SCR for DeNOx

N 2(g) + O2(g)− > 2N O(g), (2.1)

N O(g) + 1/2O2(g)− > N O2(g). (2.2)

N H3(g) + 4N O(g) + O2(g)− > 4N 2(g) + 6H2O(g). (2.3)

2.1.1 The SCR Catalyst

MIT, Pune 9 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

MIT, Pune 10 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

Role in Promoting Sustainable

The alternative eco-compatible possibility is the direct synthesis by benzene hy-

MIT, Pune 12 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

of ibuprofen. Similarly, Trifir et al. (University of Bologna, Italy) discussed different

3.2 Catalysis in Waste Minimization and Emis-

MIT, Pune 13 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

MIT, Pune 14 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

3.3 Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

MIT, Pune 15 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

Figure 3.2: Examples of new eco-efficient catalytic processes

MIT, Pune 16 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.

MIT, Pune 17 Dept. of Petrochemical Engg.