Crude Oil to Gasoline and Basic Building Blocks by Heterogeneous Catalysts

The phenomenological definition of a catalyst is a substance that accelerates a chemical reaction but in the process does not undergo any chemical change itself. Catalysis plays a critical role not just in the oil and chemical industries but also in the manufacture of many inorganic chemicals, pollution abatement, and fuel cells. At a rough estimate, more than 15% of all existing industrial chemical transformations and 90% of newly developed processes involve the use of catalysts. 

2 CRUDE OILTO GASOLINE AND BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS BY HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSTS 

To put the importance of homogeneous catalysis in perspective, we first present a very brief summary of the basic processes of the petrochemical industry. Most of these processes are catalytic, and the goal is to convert crude oil to gasoline, other fuels, and basic building blocks for downstream chemicals. 

Cmde oil is composed of many hydrocarbons that differ in the number of carbon atoms per molecule. As the number of carbon atoms increases, the boiling point (BP) also increases. The BP and the number of carbon atoms per molecule in crude oil typically range from 30°C to 610°C and 1 to 60, respectively. By subjecting crude oil to fractional distillation, the major components such as crude gasoline (-5-12), naphtha (-8-12), kerosene (-11-13), and diesel (-13-17) are separated. The approximate number of carbon atoms of the hydrocarbons present in these components is given in the parentheses. 

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Crude Oil to Gasoline and Basic Building Blocks by Heterogeneous Catalysts 3... 

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