The development of catalysis has a major influence on the progress in the chemical and other industries.
Efficiency of a catalytic reaction and hence the economic performance primarily depend on the catalysts surface area, the capability for heat transfer (exothermal and endothermal reactions), diffusion, and mechanical strength. Stability of catalysts to oxidative regeneration at high temperatures (500-900oC) has a considerable effect on the economic efficiency of the process.
Many heterogeneous catalysts do not meet these requirements. Many supports (alumina, silica, and zeolites) possess developed surfaces, high heat-insulating properties, diffusion hindrances, low mechanical strength, impossibility of effective regeneration because of overheating of bulk catalyst.
The main idea of this project is to develop new catalytic materials in the different geometric forms such as foil, metal and ceramic fiber materials, metal or ceramic foams, honeycomb monoliths. They are free from the above disadvantages of traditional catalysts and hence provide as opportunity to develop new chemical technologies of high productivity, selectivity, and controllability, which are free from nonutilizable wastes. The application of new material could show absolutely new effects in the technological parameters of catalytic processes.
New types of supports: metal foil, SiC-Si seramic and hexaaluminate foam materials, honeycomb with various chemical compositions distinctive in physicochemical properties will be developed and produced for the preparation of catalysts.
Methods for the deposition of secondary thermally stable supports on starting materials will be worked out, their properties such as porosity, thermal stability at elevated temperatures, coating durability will be studied.
Catalysts on the basis of oxide systems and noble metals for catalytic combustion of fuels and for the processing of methane (partial oxidation, CO2 reforming of methane) will be develop.
For optimization of the composition and catalytic properties of catalysts, their catalytic activity, physicochemical characteristics and state of the active component will be studied by modern physical methods.
Pilot tests under conditions close to the real ones provide information necessary for the determination of the working time of catalysts and the influence of the operation and regeneration conditions on the catalytic activity of the catalysts developed.