Assisted Reactor Engineering

Like zeolites that combine shape selectivity with catalysis (Chapter 6), membranes combine separation with catalysis to enhance reaction rates. The dual functionality of zeolites derives from the nature of the catalytic material, whereas that of membranes derives from the nature of the reactor material. The catalyst in the membrane reactor can be a part of the membrane itself or be external to it (i.e., placed inside the membrane tube). The chief property of a membrane is its ability for selective permeation or permselectivity with respect to certain compounds. 

We commence our treatment with an introduction to the exploitable features of membrane reactors (with no attempt to describe membrane synthesis). Then 

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Part III Beyond the Fundamentals presents material not commonly covered in textbooks, addressing aspects of reactors involving more than one phase. It discusses solid catalyzed fluid-phase reactions in fixed-bed and fluidized-bed reactors, gas-solid noncatalytic reactions, reactions involving at least one liquid phase (gas-liquid and liquid-liquid), and multiphase reactions. This section also describes membrane-assisted reactor engineering, combo reactors, homogeneous catalysis, and phase-transfer catalysis. The final chapter provides a perspective on future trends in reaction engineering. 

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