Applied Chemical Engineering

Guiding questions for the synthesis of catalyst and its application in selective catalytic oxidation reactions

William G. Cortés-Ortiz

Grupo de Investigación en Química Aplicada, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad El Bosque

Carlos A. Guerrero-Fajardo

Grupo de Investigación Aprovechamiento Energético de Recursos Naturales, Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/ace.v5i1.1451

Keywords: Heterogeneous Catalysis, Guiding Questions, Selective Oxidation, Methane, Methanol, Formaldehyde, Sol-Gel, Impregnation, Catalyst Synthesis, Calcination

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Abstract

This paper presents a brief history of catalysis, as well as the processes of selective oxidation of hydrocarbons. On the other hand, the basic concepts involved in heterogeneous catalysis are mentioned, emphasizing the role of catalytic materials in chemical oxidation processes and posing a series of guiding questions to be followed when approaching a process catalyzed by solid materials. In the same way, the methods of synthesis of catalysts known in the literature as sol-gel and impregnation are shown, identifying the influence of each stage of preparation with the physical and chemical properties of the materials. Finally, a case study applied to the selective catalytic oxidation of methane and methanol using iron, molybdenum, and vanadium catalytic materials synthesized by the sol-gel method is presented.

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