Course content

The course is an introduction to important principles and methods of heterogeneous catalysis. Topics are:

• The importance of catalysis as a key technology in the chemical process industry, in energy conversion as well as in environmental chemistry processes.
• Definition of catalysis, elementary reactions, and catalytic sequences.
• Concepts and principles of adsorption, desorption, surface area and porosity.
• Modern theories for surfaces and surface reactions.
• Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics.
• Kinetic modelling, including model fitting and data treatment.
• Internal and external mass and heat transfer in catalyst particles as well as the effect of diffusion on reaction kinetics.
• Catalyst preparation.
• Multifunctional catalysis.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

• Overview about important industrial catalytic processes and the most common catalysts.
• Know how catalysts are applied in sustainable industrial processes to reduce the energy demand and to improve selectivity to the desired products.
• Be able to identify reaction sequences and suggest reaction mechanisms for chemical reactions.
• Be familiar with methods for preparation of catalysts.
• Know how internal and external mass transfer limitations influence the kinetics of catalytic reactions.
• Understand the most common deactivation mechanisms for heterogeneous catalysts and how they influence the kinetics.
• Be aware of the criteria of good experimental practice in kinetic measurements.
• Understand Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model development and data treatment.

Skills:

• Derive rate expressions for catalytic reactions based on Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics.
• Design catalytic experiments with control over reaction kinetics without influence of heat and mass transfer limitations.
• Apply chemisorption and kinetic data to calculate reaction rates and specific reaction rates.
• Develop kinetic models for selected chemical reactions.
• Identify and distinguish different deactivation mechanisms present in heterogeneous catalysts.
• Identify internal and external mass transfer limitations by using diagnostic criteria.
• Identify individual elementary reactions.

General competence:

• Be familiar with the principles of catalytic reactions and how the kinetics of the reactions can be derived and applied in practice.
• Recognize important catalytic reactions, in particular for energy conversion and environmental chemistry processes.
• The candidates should be able to identify if a reaction is kinetically controlled or if it is controlled by external limitations such as heat or mass transfer.

Learning methods and activities

The course is given as 3 hours of lectures, 2 hours of of exercises and 7 hours of self study per week. 7 exercises must be passed in order to be admitted to the exam. A score of 60% or higher must be achieved for passing an exercise. Lectures and exam are given in English.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Course TKP4110 Chemical Reaction Engineering or similar knowledge.

Course materials

I. Chorkendorff and J. W. Niemantsverdriet: Concepts of Modern Catalysis and Kinetics, 3rd edition

Credit reductions