Catalysis in refining and petrochemistry: current and future trends
Catalysis in refining and petrochemistry: current and future trends
Catalysis plays a crucial role in the refining and petrochemical industry, driving current advancements and shaping future trends. The need to maximize product quality while minimizing environmental impact has pushed the development of highly efficient catalysts tailored for specific processes. In refining, catalysis allows for the conversion of crude oil into valuable products, such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Hydroprocessing reactions rely on heterogeneous catalysts to remove impurities and sulfur from feedstocks, ensuring compliance with stringent regulations. Moreover, fluid catalytic cracking utilizes zeolite-based catalysts to break large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones, increasing gasoline production. As for petrochemistry, catalysts enable key transformations involved in the synthesis of polymers, chemicals, and intermediates. Advances in catalytic materials design and reactor engineering are being driven by efforts to enhance overall process selectivity and energy efficiency. Going forward, emerging trends include the use of renewable feedstocks (biomass or waste) as alternative carbon sources and the exploration of unconventional catalytic materials like plasmonic nanoparticles or single-atom catalysts that promise increased activity and selectivity under mild conditions. These innovations will shape a sustainable future for refining and petrochemistry, optimizing resource utilization while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Keywords
· Decarbonisation
· Biodegradable chemicals
· Advanced fuels
· Atom economy
· Rational design