Industrial application of solid acid-base catalysts

A statistical sun ey of industrial processes using solid acid-base catalyst s is presented. The number of processes such as alkylation, isomerization, amination, cracking, etherification, etc., and the catalysts such as zeolit es, oxides, complex oxides, phosphates, ion-exchange resins, clays, etc., a re 127 and 180, respectively. The classification of the types of catalysts into solid acid, solid base, and solid acid-base bifunctional catalysts giv es the numbers as 103, 10 and 14, respectively. Some significant examples a re described more in derail. On the basis of the survey, the future trend o f solid acid-base catalysis and the fundamental research promising for indu strial success are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.