\nThis short mes\u00adsage is intend\u00aded to pro\u00advide ways to explain what catal\u00ady\u00adsis is. Count\u00adless times, I\u2019ve been asked about what is catal\u00ady\u00adsis from per\u00adsons of dif\u00adfer\u00ading back\u00adgrounds: immi\u00adgra\u00adtion offi\u00adcials, four\u00adsomes on a golf course, exec\u00adu\u00adtives in air\u00adplanes, or neigh\u00adbors. To those of us who work in the field, we see tremen\u00addous val\u00adue which has repeat\u00aded\u00adly been sup\u00adport\u00aded by sur\u00adveys of the impact of catal\u00ady\u00adsis upon finan\u00adcial mea\u00adsur\u00ading tools, like the GNP (Gross Nation\u00adal Prod\u00aduct), but we need to be able to explain our pro\u00adfes\u00adsion to those not famil\u00adiar with the tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy. <\/p>\n
Catal\u00ady\u00adsis is a tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy which increas\u00ades the rate of a chem\u00adi\u00adcal reac\u00adtion. This tech\u00adni\u00adcal field employs both sci\u00aden\u00adtists and engi\u00adneers. Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are the mate\u00adri\u00adals used by these per\u00adsons to explore the phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnon of catal\u00ady\u00adsis. Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are mate\u00adri\u00adals which speed up chem\u00adi\u00adcal reac\u00adtions with\u00adout the cat\u00ada\u00adlyst being con\u00adsumed; they are mate\u00adri\u00adals which induce change. More specif\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are mate\u00adri\u00adals which change the rate of attain\u00adment of chem\u00adi\u00adcal equi\u00adlib\u00adri\u00adum with\u00adout them\u00adselves being changed or con\u00adsumed in the process. Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts also pro\u00advide selec\u00adtiv\u00adi\u00adty or speci\u00adfici\u00adty to par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar prod\u00aducts which are more desir\u00adable than oth\u00aders. All these attrib\u00adut\u00ades about catal\u00ady\u00adsis and cat\u00ada\u00adlysts trans\u00adlate to ener\u00adgy sav\u00adings, less pol\u00adlu\u00adtion, few\u00ader side prod\u00aducts, low\u00ader cost reac\u00adtor mate\u00adri\u00adals, and ulti\u00admate\u00adly prod\u00aducts which reduce glob\u00adal warm\u00ading. It has been said (A. Mit\u00adtasch) that \u201cchem\u00adistry with\u00adout catal\u00ady\u00adsis would be a sword with\u00adout a handle\u2026or a bell with\u00adout sound.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catal\u00ady\u00adsis is the key to both life and lifestyle. It is an essen\u00adtial tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy for chem\u00adi\u00adcal and mate\u00adri\u00adals man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00ading, for fuel cells and oth\u00ader ener\u00adgy con\u00adver\u00adsion sys\u00adtems, for com\u00adbus\u00adtion devices, and for pol\u00adlu\u00adtion con\u00adtrol sys\u00adtems which great\u00adly impact every\u00adone on our plan\u00adet. Some oth\u00ader spe\u00adcif\u00adic exam\u00adples of what cat\u00ada\u00adlysts do include appli\u00adca\u00adtions for:<\/p>\n
Fuels &<\/span> Ener\u00adgy<\/strong>: Over half the world\u2019s gaso\u00adline is cur\u00adrent\u00adly pro\u00adduced by a process devel\u00adoped in 1942 called Flu\u00adid Cat\u00adalyt\u00adic Crack\u00ading (FCC). This process rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adized the petro\u00adle\u00adum indus\u00adtry by more effi\u00adcient\u00adly trans\u00adform\u00ading high\u00ader boil\u00ading oils into lighter, usable prod\u00aducts. FCC pro\u00adduces gaso\u00adline as well as heat\u00ading oil, fuel oil, propane, butane, and chem\u00adi\u00adcal feed\u00adstocks that are instru\u00admen\u00adtal in pro\u00adduc\u00ading oth\u00ader prod\u00aducts such as plas\u00adtics, syn\u00adthet\u00adic rub\u00adbers and fab\u00adrics, and cos\u00admet\u00adics. It is con\u00adsid\u00adered one of the most impor\u00adtant chem\u00adi\u00adcal engi\u00adneer\u00ading achieve\u00adments of the 20th cen\u00adtu\u00adry. In the future, cat\u00ada\u00adlysts will be used to pro\u00adduce clean ener\u00adgy from renew\u00adable ener\u00adgy sources, such as hydro\u00adgen for fuel cells and trans\u00adporta\u00adtion fuels from non-edi\u00adble bio\u00admass.<\/p>\n Emis\u00adsions<\/strong>: Auto\u00admo\u00adbile emis\u00adsion cat\u00ada\u00adlysts have been devel\u00adoped since the 1960s to destroy CO, NOx and hydro\u00adcar\u00adbon emis\u00adsions from mobile vehi\u00adcles. Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are also used to destroy the ori\u00adgins of sul\u00adfur based emis\u00adsions in the com\u00adbus\u00adtion of fuels. In addi\u00adtion cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are wide\u00adly used to destroy the objec\u00adtion\u00adable emis\u00adsions from the world\u2019s coal fired pow\u00ader plants.<\/p>\n Poly\u00admers<\/strong>: Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are also used in the pro\u00adduc\u00adtion of the world\u2019s poly\u00admers. Cur\u00adrent exam\u00adples of poly\u00admers include adhe\u00adsives, coat\u00adings, foams, and pack\u00adag\u00ading mate\u00adri\u00adals, tex\u00adtile and indus\u00adtri\u00adal fibers, com\u00adpos\u00adites, elec\u00adtron\u00adic devices, bio\u00admed\u00adical devices, opti\u00adcal devices, and pre\u00adcur\u00adsors for many new\u00adly devel\u00adoped high-tech ceram\u00adics.<\/p>\n Life<\/strong>: Enzymes are one exam\u00adple of cat\u00ada\u00adlysts with\u00adin our bod\u00adies which are crit\u00adi\u00adcal to main\u00adtain\u00ading life. Fur\u00adther, the pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of ana\u00adlyz\u00ading and ulti\u00admate\u00adly manip\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading genes rests on the cat\u00adalyt\u00adic prop\u00ader\u00adties of RNA to repli\u00adcate mol\u00ade\u00adcules con\u00adtain\u00ading bio\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal infor\u00adma\u00adtion.<\/p>\n Health<\/strong>: The phar\u00adma\u00adceu\u00adti\u00adcal indus\u00adtry employ\u00adees large amounts of cat\u00ada\u00adlysts need\u00aded to pro\u00adduce the speci\u00adfici\u00adty of prod\u00aducts they require. Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts used in the pro\u00adduc\u00adtion of drugs are used to save lives and improve the health and lifestyle of peo\u00adple around the world.<\/p>\n Food<\/strong>: Cat\u00ada\u00adlysts are wide\u00adly used in food pro\u00adcess\u00ading and enhance the per\u00adfor\u00admance of oth\u00ader con\u00adsumer prod\u00aducts such as laun\u00addry deter\u00adgents.<\/p>\n The eco\u00adnom\u00adic con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtion from catal\u00ady\u00adsis is as remark\u00adable as the phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnon itself. Four sec\u00adtors of the world\u2019s econ\u00ado\u00admy are petro\u00adle\u00adum, ener\u00adgy pro\u00adduc\u00adtion, chem\u00adi\u00adcals pro\u00adduc\u00adtion, and the food indus\u00adtry; togeth\u00ader they account for more than 10 tril\u00adlion dol\u00adlars of the world\u2019s GNP, and all of these are crit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly depen\u00addent on the use of cat\u00ada\u00adlysts. Esti\u00admates are that catal\u00ady\u00adsis con\u00adtributes to greater than 35% of glob\u00adal GDP; the biggest part of this con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtion comes from the gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of high ener\u00adgy fuels (i.e., gaso\u00adline, diesel, hydro\u00adgen) which depend crit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly on the use of small amounts of cat\u00ada\u00adlysts in our world\u2019s petro\u00adle\u00adum refiner\u00adies. As a busi\u00adness, the cat\u00ada\u00adlyst mar\u00adket itself is grow\u00ading from the cur\u00adrent US$12 bil\u00adlion, so that catal\u00ady\u00adsis costs are much less than 0.1% of the sales rev\u00adenue from the prod\u00aducts which they cre\u00adate.<\/p>\n