Heterogeneous Catalysts for Petrochemical Synthesis and Oil Refining, 2nd Edition

Heterogeneous catalysts play a crucial role in the petrochemical synthesis and oil refining industries. They are used to facilitate a wide range of chemical reactions that are essential for the production of various chemicals and fuels. These catalysts are solid substances that exist in a different phase than the reactants. This allows them to be easily separated and reactivated after the reaction takes place. One of the main benefits of using these catalysts is their versatility. They can be customized to specific reactions by altering their composition, structure, active phase, and surface characteristics. This makes them highly selective and environmentally friendly. The use of heterogeneous catalysts also makes the process more efficient and cost-effective. By allowing reactions to occur at lower temperatures and pressures, less energy is required, resulting in lower production costs. Additionally, the use of these catalysts reduces the amount of waste produced, making the process more environmentally sustainable. Novel trends in catalyst design are connected with new functional materials, methods for their fabrication, and use in petrochemical processes, tuning the activity and selectivity. In the oil refining industry, heterogeneous catalysts are essential for removing impurities such as sulfur and nitrogen from crude oil. They are also used to convert heavy oils into lighter, more valuable products, such as diesel or gasoline. Catalysts containing zeolites and metals enhance the efficiency of oil refining processes and improve the quality of final products, such as diesel and oil dewaxing, gasoline catalytic reforming and isomerization, vacuum gas oil and residue cracking, and hydrocracking. With the increasing demand for cleaner fuels and high-value chemicals, the development of new heterogeneous catalysts with enhanced performance and stability is essential to meet the challenges of the future. Through continued innovation in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, researchers and industry experts can contribute to the advancement of more efficient and environmentally friendly petrochemical processes.

This Special Issue covers recent findings in catalyst design for processing of vacuum residues and sulfur and nitrogen removal from middle distillates (Contributions 1 and 2). The first contributors examined the kinetics of thermal vacuum residue decomposition in the presence of nanosized Ni-Ti catalysts supported on chrysotile (Contribution 1). The determined kinetic parameters from this study can be used for the design and modeling of the thermal conversion processes of heavy feedstock. The second contribution is aimed at thiophene, methylphenyl sulfide, dibenzothiophene, and pyridine oxidative removal over ionic liquid catalysts supported on SiO₂ (Contribution 2). These systems can be used for the non-hydrogen oxidation refining of gasoline and diesel fractions in order to meet high environmental standards for the content of sulfur and nitrogen in motor fuels. One paper is devoted to the photo-induced degradation of dyes over zeolite ZSM-12 containing titanium oxide (Contribution 3). Another one deals with alkene hydroformylation over heterogeneous phosphorus-free rhodium catalysts, which plays a vital role in the production of long-chain aldehydes (Contribution 4). Furthermore, this Special Issue presents a novel technique for the self-assembly of mesoporous silica nanoparticles around natural clay nanotubes, which were used for the preparation of chromium catalysts active in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane with carbon dioxide (Contribution 5). One of the main advantages of this process is its potential to utilize carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generating valuable chemical products such as propylene. The last contribution is a review on catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis for diesel production (Contribution 6). By using this process, diesel can be produced from a variety of feedstocks, including biomass and waste materials. It may reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and decrease harmful emissions that impact air pollution and climate change, making a transition towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy sector.

We assume that this Special Issue will be beneficial for researchers working in heterogeneous catalysis, petrochemical, and oil refining processes such as heavy oil processing, hydroformylation, oxidative desulphurization and denitrogenation, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, and alkane dehydrogenation. Furthermore, it covers new findings in functional material design, such as zeolites, nanostructered aluminosilicates, supported ionic liquids, and heteropolyacids.