Another Critical Look at Three-Phase Catalysis

Three-phase catalysis, for example, hydrogenation, is a special branch of chemical reactions involving a hydrogen reactant (gas) and a solvent (liquid) in the presence of a metal porous catalyst (solid) to produce a liquid product. Currently, many reactors are being used for three-phase catalysis fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Xiong-Wei Ni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Georg Thieme Verlag KG 2020-09-01
Series:Pharmaceutical Fronts
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0040-1722219
Description
Summary:Three-phase catalysis, for example, hydrogenation, is a special branch of chemical reactions involving a hydrogen reactant (gas) and a solvent (liquid) in the presence of a metal porous catalyst (solid) to produce a liquid product. Currently, many reactors are being used for three-phase catalysis from packed bed to slurry vessel; the uniqueness for this type of reaction in countless processes is the requirement of transferring gas into liquid, as yet there is not a unified system of quantifying and comparing reactor performances. This article reviews current methodologies in carrying out such heterogeneous catalysis in different reactors and focuses on how to enhance reactor performance from gas transfer perspectives. This article also suggests that the mass transfer rate over energy dissipation may represent a fairer method for comparison of reactor performance accounting for different types/designs of reactors and catalyst structures as well as operating conditions.
ISSN:2628-5088
2628-5096