Catalyst

Course:
Chemical reactor Design ( Ch.E-307)

Presented by:
Adan Javed
Asad Mehmood
Hamaza Nisar

Presented To:
Dr. K.S Baig
 Presentation Contents

Historical Poisoning of Numerical

Definition Types Applications
Background Catalyst Problem
 Definition

Without
being Chemistry
consumed

Rate of a
Catalyst
reaction

Increases Substance
 Definition
Enzymes

Bio-
chemical Naturally
reactions.

Responsible Occurring

Catalysts
 Historical Background

 Catalysts have been used by humankind for over 2000 years.

 The first observed uses of catalysts were in the making of wine, cheese, and bread.

 It was found that it was always necessary to add small amounts of the previous batch to make the current
batch.

 However, it wasn't until 1835 that Berzelius began to tie together observations of earlier chemists by
suggesting that small amounts of a foreign source could greatly affect the course of chemical reactions.
 Historical Background

 This mysterious force attributed to the substance was called catalytic.

 In 1894, Ostwald expanded Berzelius explanation by stating that catalysts were substances that
accelerate the rate of chemical reactions without being consumed
Types

Catalysts

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous
 Types

A
heterogen- Reactants
Process Liquid or
eous Multiphase Catalyst Solid and
gaseous
catalytic products
process
 Types

Example of Heterogeneous Catalytic Process:

 Haber process to manufacture ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen.

 In this case, finely divided iron acts as a heterogeneous catalyst.

 As the reactant molecules (hydrogen and nitrogen) bind to the catalyst.

 Types

 This binding process has two effects: first, the molecules come closer together than they would be
in the gas phase; and second, their internal bonds are weakened.

 In this manner the catalyst makes it possible for the reactant molecules to react faster than they
would if they had remained in the gas phase.
 Types

In homogeneous catalysis

Catalyst

Transformed itself

Early stage of the reaction

Regenerated

End of the reaction

 Types

 The breakdown of ozone by chlorine free radicals.

 Chlorine free radicals are formed by the action of ultraviolet radiation on chlorofluorocarbons.

 These free radicals react with ozone to form oxygen molecules and chlorine free radicals are
regenerated.
 Poisoning of Catalyst

 A catalyst can be poisoned if another compound (similar to an inhibitor) alters it chemically or

bonds to it and does not release it.

 Such interactions effectively destroy the usefulness of the catalyst as it can no longer participate in
the reaction that it was supposed to catalyze.

 Common catalyst poisons are lead, sulfur, zinc, manganese, and phosphorus.
 Applications

 According to some estimates 60 percent of all commercially produced chemical products require
catalysts at some stage during their manufacture.

 The most effective catalysts are usually transition metals or transition metal complexes.

 The catalytic converter of an automobile is a well-known example of the use of catalysts.

 In this device, platinum, palladium, or rhodium may be used as catalysts, as they help break down
some of the more harmful byproducts of automobile exhaust.
 Applications

 A "three-way" catalytic converter performs three tasks: (a) reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen
and oxygen; (b) oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide; and (c) oxidation of unburnt
hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water.

 Ordinary iron is used as a catalyst in the Haber process to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen and
hydrogen, as mentioned above.

 The mass production of a polymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene is catalyzed by an agent

known as the Ziegler-Natta catalyst, which is based on titanium chloride and alkyl aluminum
compounds.
 Applications

 Vanadium(V) oxide is a catalyst for the manufacture of sulfuric acid at high concentrations, by a
method known as the contact process.

 Nickel is used in the manufacture of margarine.

 Alumina and silica are catalysts in the breakdown of large hydrocarbon molecules into simpler
ones a process known as cracking.

 A number of enzymes are used for chemical transformations of organic compounds. These
enzymes are called biocatalysts and their action is called biocatalysis.
 Applications

 The electrodes of a fuel cell are coated with a catalyst such as platinum, palladium, or nanoscale
iron powder.

 The Fischer Tropsch process is a chemical reaction in which carbon monoxide and hydrogen are
converted into liquid hydrocarbons, in the presence of catalysts based on iron and cobalt. This
process is mainly used to produce a synthetic petroleum substitute for fuel or lubrication oil.

 Hydrogenation reactions, which involve the addition of hydrogen to organic compounds such as
alkenes or aldehydes, require a catalyst such as platinum, palladium, rhodium, or ruthenium.
 Applications

Pollution reduction:

 gas - converting harmful gases to non-harmful ones

 liquid - de-pollution, de-odder, de-colour etc

 solid - landfill, factory wastes

 Numerical Problem

The first-order isomerization

A B

is being carried our iso-themally in a batch reactor on a catalyst that is decaying as a result of aging.
Derive an equation for conversion as a function of time.
Numerical Problem
Numerical Problem
 References

 [1] Note that the term "adsorption" means binding to the surface of a substance. In this case, the
reactants bind to the surface of the catalyst.

 [2] Recognizing the Best in Innovation: Breakthrough Catalyst," R&D Magazine, September 2005,
pg 20.

 [3] Catalysis and Catalytic Resctors. (n.d.). In H. S. Fogler, Elements of Chemical Reaction
Engineering 4th Ed.