Industrial Catalysts

Catalysts are substances that speed up reactions by providing an alternative pathway for the breaking and making of bonds. Key to this alternative pathway is a lower activation energy than that required for the un-catalyzed reaction. Catalysts are often specific for one particular reaction and this is particularly so for enzymes which catalyze biological reactions, for example in the fermentation of carbohydrates to produce biofuels.

Much fundamental and applied research is done by industrial companies and university research laboratories to find out how catalysts work and to improve their effectiveness. If catalytic activity can be improved, it may be possible to lower the temperature and/or the pressure at which the process operates and thus save fuel which is one of the major costs in a large-scale chemical process. Further, it may be possible to reduce the amount of reactants that are wasted forming unwanted by-products.

If the catalyst is in the same phase as the reactants, it is referred to as a homogeneous catalyst. A heterogeneous catalyst on the other hand is in a different phase to the reactants and products, and is often favored in industry, being easily separated from the products, although it is often less specific and allows side reactions to occur.