Renewable catalytic technology

The chapters that follow are based on lectures presented at the Idecat conference on Catalysis for Renewables , Rolduc, The Netherlands, which had been organized to discuss different technology options and related catalytic advances or challenges. Whereas the main focus is on biomass related catalytic technologies, lectures on fossil fuel technology as well as solar and biotechnological conversion paths were also included. 

Renewable Catalytic Technologies - a Perspective Primary energy Secondary energy... 

The use of catalysts for exploiting renewable energy sources, producing clean fuels in refineries, and minimizing the by-product formation in industry also fall within the definition of environmental catalysis. In the future, the continuous effort to control transport emissions, improve indoor ah quality, and decontaminate polluted water and soil will further boost catalytic technology. All in all, catalysts will continue to be a valuable asset in the effort to protect human health, the natural environment, and the existence of life on Earth. 

A major aspect of research and development in industrial catalysis is the identification of catalytic materials and reaction conditions that lead to effective catalytic processes. The need for efficient approaches to facilitate the discovery of new solid catalysts is particularly timely in view of the growing need to expand the applications of catalytic technologies beyond the current chemical and petrochemical industries. For example, new catalysts are needed for environmental applications such as treatment of noxious emissions or for pollution prevention. Improved catalysts are needed for new fuel cell applications. The production of high-value specialty chemicals requires the development of new catalytic materials. Furthermore, new catalysts may be combined with biochemical processes for the production of chemicals from renewable resources. The catalysts required for these new applications may be different from those in current use in the chemical and petrochemical industries. 

The Fischer-Tropsch process has attracted renewed interest as a way to produce high quality, sulfur-free diesel fuel from natural gas and, possibly, an opportunity to utilize natural gas at remote oilfields. The process represents proven technology and is regarded as an alternative for when oil may no longer be widely available, and one has to resort to natural gas and coal. In a really futuristic scenario one may even contemplate the use of GO and H2 produced by photo-catalytic dissociation of GO2 and water. 

The need for renewable technologies creates ample catalytic opportunities. We have seen that the techno-economic scenarios favor different technologies in the course of time. This implies on ongoing need for process innovation, for which catalysis is the chemical back bone. Clearly, progress requires a sustained integrated effort with the many other disciplines that are needed to develop the devices and the required infrastructure. 

Efficient technology could also be developed based on catalytic biomass pyrolysis for the conversion of biomass into clean and renewable liquid bio-oil. This would facilitate its introduction into the energy market as a renewable fuel or as source of high value chemicals. It is possible to produce stable liquid biofuels from biomass flash pyrolysis, in a single stage catalytic process, although further developments are necessary. 

The chapters of this book have been selected to provide an introduction to the catalytic issues of biomass conversion processes. The introductory chapters make clear the political decisions, especially in the EU, that drive biomass conversion technology, its prospects compared with other options for renewable energy, and the main technological options for conversion of biomass into secondary energy carriers. 

Hence, catalysis may be considered as an enabling technology for this transition and, for this reason, it is necessary to better understand the limitations and possibilities in this field. We need to define future necessary directions of R D and the needs of fundamental and applied knowledge. In other words, there is the need to develop a roadmap for catalytic processes based on renewable feedstock. This book aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art on which such a research agenda can be based. 

The SCR with NH3/urea is emerging as the most promising technology for the abatement of NOx emissions from diesel vehicles (ACEA, 2003 Heck et al., 2002). This has stimulated a renewed interest in the investigation of fundamental aspects of the SCR catalytic chemistry, also in view of the need of the transportation industry to develop design and simulation tools incorporating SCR kinetic schemes. 

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