Heterogeneous Catalysis for Energy and Environmental Applications

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that emits no environmental pollutants when burned and, as such, it is predicted to be a major source of energy in the future. It has been found to be the most promising fuel for fuel cells, which are rapidly growing as a viable alternative source for sustainable energy generation, and it has been used for both stationary and mobile applications. However, H₂ has its own disadvantages due to the lack of infrastructure for its storage and delivery. Therefore, the processing of hydrogen-rich fuels is necessary for producing H₂ on-site for stationary applications or on-board for mobile applications. Currently, steam reforming, partial oxidation, and auto-thermal reforming of hydrocarbons and alcohols are the major means of hydrogen production. In recent years, the catalytic decomposition of methane has been a topic of interest in the research of hydrogen generation because of its decarbonization nature. Photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis have also emerged as promising routes for the production of hydrogen. Further, worldwide industrial development is mainly accompanied by the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. The energy stored in fossil fuels, biomass, and industrial and domestic waste is released through the complete as well as partial combustion of these constituents, leading to the emission of NO_x, CO_x, SO_x, NH₃, and unburned hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, causing environmental pollution. In addition, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from many industrial processes and automobile exhaust emissions are recognized as major contributors to air pollution because of their direct (carcinogenic or mutagenic) and indirect (ozone layer-depleting and smog precursor) effects on environment and health. Therefore, catalysis as a means of removing pollutants from the environment has attracted much attention since the 1970s. The conversion of environmentally unacceptable gases such as NO_x, CO, and HC to N₂, CO₂, and H₂O using catalysts is a challenging task and, hence, an immense amount of research has been carried out in the area of heterogeneous catalysis in the last several decades.

We warmly invite you to submit your research in the form of original full-length articles, short communications, perspective articles, and mini-reviews to this Special Issue on “Heterogeneous Catalysis for Energy and Environmental Applications” that reflect state-of-the-art research in heterogeneous catalysis on the following topics:

a) The steam reforming of hydrocarbons and alcohols;

b) The dry reforming of methane;

c) The reforming of biogas;

d) The partial oxidation of methane;

e) Autothermal reforming;

f) Methane decomposition;

g) The preferential oxidation of CO;

h) Photocatalytic hydrogen generation;

i) Photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation;

j) CO oxidation;

k) NO decomposition and reduction;

l) Hydrocarbon oxidation;

m) The removal of VOCs for indoor and outdoor air quality control.

Dr. Parthasarathi Bera
Prof. Dr. Arup Gayen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Heterogeneous catalysis
• Hydrogen production
• Photocatalytic hydrogen production
• CO oxidation
• NO decomposition and reduction
• Removal of VOCs.