Catalysis by Unconventional Heating

Dear Colleagues,

Many reactions require external heating in order to be carried out due to process endothermicity and/or reaction conditions avoiding self-sustained thermal management. Moreover, processes characterised by frequent start-ups and shut-downs require thermal energy during transient operations.

Historically, energy demand was satisfied by external (or internal) combustion of sacrificial fuels, in particular fossil fuels. Due to the increasing attention on environmental issues, researchers have intensified their efforts in order to develop more efficient and more environmentally friendly heating systems, and some practical applications have been established.

In recent years, the growing interest in renewable sources has prompted the development of unconventional heating systems not based on the chemical conversion of fuels. In this context, direct conversion of solar energy and “green” electric power into thermal power represents a hot topic.

Solar energy can be converted into thermal power by concentration in concentrated solar plant (CSP) or in photo-thermal systems. In both cases, the features of the catalytic materials in terms of their interaction with sunlight, intrinsic activity/selectivity, durability and  thermal stability (especially for high temperature processes) are obviously crucial.

The application of electric power as a thermal source is also interesting. Electricity can be converted in radio- or micro-waves; these waves can be used for direct heating of proper materials; alternatively, suitable materials can be directly used as electric resistances and heated by the Joule effect. In any event, properties of the catalytic materials such as magnetic properties, interaction with (radio/micro)-waves, dielectric constant, electric resistance, and thermal conductivity have become important as well as the classical catalytic features (activity/selectivity, durability, etc.).

Interestingly, in addition to the application of renewable energy, the use of the aforementioned unconventional heating systems can also allow higher energy efficiency thanks to a more homogeneous and faster distribution of the heat within the reactor volume. This concept has been applied not only to chemical processes but also to catalysts preparation, ensuring uniform, fast, efficient and repeatable preparation methods.

This Special Issue will be focused on recent advances on catalyst preparations and catalytic processes using unconventional heating systems. A special emphasis will be placed on the synthesis and characterization of novel catalysts and their application in green processes. Both fundamental and applicative challenges will be highlighted. Authors with expertise in these topics are cordially invited to submit their manuscripts to this Special Issue of the journal Catalysts. Significant original papers and review articles, from both academia and industry, are welcome.

Dr. Gianluca Landi
Guest Editor

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