Health, nutrition, energy and transport, materials and materials – these are the areas in which the central problems of our time can be found. The chemical industry plays a crucial role in solving these problems. To manufacture specific products economically and in an environmentally conscious manner, a reduction in raw material and energy requirements and a reduction in by-products are sought. This is often achieved by using catalysts, which are used in the following areas, among others. Search for decanning and refining catalytic converters
Pharmaceutical Industry
Significant advances have been made in the pharmaceutical industry over the past 100 years. Medicines, hygiene, and personal care items must, however, be affordable for the customer. Catalysis makes a decisive contribution here, as it helps to reduce manufacturing costs. It also opens the way to new active ingredients.
Agrochemistry
Fertilizer production, which contributes to securing the food supply for the world population, would not be possible without catalysts. When ammonia is synthesized from the element’s nitrogen and hydrogen, the catalyst lowers the energy barrier and thus enables the reaction. Ammonia is one of the essential products in the chemical industry, and about 80% is used in fertilizer salts. Still, plastics, dyes, and explosives are also made from ammonia.
Plastics
The role of catalysis in the production of new materials is particularly evident in plastics, the use of which has become an integral part of our daily lives. In the manufacture of plastics, catalytic processes are involved in the production of the individual building blocks and the actual polymerization that leads to the polymer (plastic).
Energy
The role of catalysis in the energy sector is diverse. In environmental protection, catalytic processes are used, for example, to clean exhaust gases from cars and exhaust gases from power stations and other industrial plants. Due to the legal requirements to reduce emissions, they are becoming increasingly important.
Catalytic processes also play a role in alternative energies, such as in fuel cells. The chemical energy is converted directly into electrical energy through the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, with water being produced as a reaction product. Catalysts are involved in hydrogen production (e.g., through methanol-reforming) and in the actual fuel cell reaction.
