8. CATALYSIS

About 90 percent of chemical manufacturing processes and more than 20 percent of all industrial products in the U.S. employ underlying catalytic steps.  For petroleum refining, over 80 percent of its processes involve catalysis.  Catalysis also plays a substantial role in the production of 30 of the top 50 U.S. commodity chemicals.  Of the remaining 20, six more are made from raw materials produced catalytically.  The energy use component in the production of the top 50 chemicals is significant – 5 quadrillion BTUs per year – 3 quadrillion BTUs per year for those with catalytic production routes.  It has been estimated that if all the catalytic processes associated with petroleum refining and with chemical manufacture of the top 50 chemicals were raised to their maximum yields, total energy savings would exceed one quadrillion BTUs per year.  More efficient chemical production, resulting from improvements to catalytic processes, would also contribute to significantly reduced carbon emissions.  This topic seeks to accelerate the catalyst discovery and applications process by identifying catalysts that have higher selectivities, can operate at modest temperatures and pressures, and contribute to a reduction in the number of unit operations.  It is intended that R&D be conducted to overcome current limitations of selectivity and efficiency, leading to substantial energy savings, improved economic performance, enhanced utilization of feedstocks, and reduced requirements for materials of construction.

Grant applications must address the potential public benefits that the proposed technology would provide from reduced energy consumption and from the reduction in one or more of the following:  materials consumption, water consumption, and toxic and pollutants dispersion.  Grant applications should also include a plan for introducing the new technology into the manufacturing sector, in order to access capabilities for widespread technology dissemination. 

The industrial focus of this topic is the U.S. chemical and petroleum refining industries, using natural gas, natural gas liquids, and petroleum derivative feedstocks.  “Chemical Industry” is taken here in the broadest sense - to include petroleum refining and primary chemical manufacturers and users of primary and intermediate chemicals for higher value products. 

Grant applications are sought only in the following subtopics:

a. Heterogeneous Catalysis—Catalytic reforming, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, alkylation, isomerization, and the conversion of methanol into olefins are some of the most important industrial applications of heterogeneous catalysis, in chemical manufacture and petroleum refining.  For example, the synthesis of oxygenated compounds from hydrocarbons involves heterogeneous oxidation catalysis, the cracking of paraffins to olefins, and the subsequent direct or indirect addition of oxygen.  In such processes, the direct addition of oxygen to olefins is exothermic, and, therefore, increased selectivity would provide energy savings from reduced hydrocarbon feedstock requirements.  Indeed, the enhancement of oxidation selectivity represents the largest potential improvement of energy efficiency in the chemical industry (Parshall, 1994).  Grant applications are sought for the research and development of technologies for improving the efficiency of industrial catalytic oxidations, reductions, and acid-base catalysis.  Areas of particular interest are:  (1) selective oxidation of petroleum feedstocks for commodity chemicals, thereby enhancing efficiency by reducing over-oxidation; (2) alkane activation for direct oxidation with molecular oxygen, e.g., methane to methanol; (3) heat integration of catalytic oxidations with other processes; (4) improvements in the syntheses or use of reactive intermediates; (5) new catalysts for commodity chemical reductions including ammonia synthesis from elemental gases, fuel and gas reforming catalysts, and cathodic catalysts for fuel cells – new ideas for fuel cell catalysts for oxygen activation are especially desired; and (6) new and improved catalysts for petroleum cracking in a fluidized bed, as well as new heterogeneous catalysts for alkene/alkane alkylation.

Questions - contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov) 

b. Homogeneous Catalysis—Isomerizations, hydrogenations, oxidations, polymerizations, and esterifications are just a few of the many commercial applications of homogeneous catalysis.  The DOE has a long and respected history of support for the development of homogeneous catalysts used for polymer syntheses, as well as homogenous catalysts used for chemical synthesis from synthesis gas.  Grant applications are sought for the development of new homogeneous catalysts for these applications, especially homogeneous catalysts that avoid the use of precious metals such as rhodium. 

Questions - contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov) 

c. Reactive Separations—Grant applications are sought for the integration of catalysts with separation technologies for energy-efficient processing – such as reactive distillations and catalytic membranes.  Grant applications for R&D that will overcome previously identified technical barriers to the use of reactive separation technologies in industry are especially desired.  For example, the tendency of homogeneous catalysts to dissolve in reaction media limits the stability (and therefore the use) of homogeneous catalysts fixed to a membrane.   Grant applications are also sought for the development of new reactive separation technologies, and reactive separation technologies that use innovative approaches to overcome technical barriers to the industrial use of reactive separation technology.  

Questions - contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov) 

References:

1.      “Technology Vision 2020:  The U. S. Chemical Industry,” Washington , DC :  American Chemical Society (ACS), 1996.  (Full text available at:  http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/chemicals/pdfs/chem_vision.pdf.  Also available from DOE EERE Information Center : 1-800-862-2086)

2.      “Vision 2020 Catalysis [Workshop] Report,” 1997.  (Full Report available at:  http://www.ccrhq.org/vision/index/roadmaps/catrep.html)  

3.      “Vision 2020 Reaction Engineering Roadmap,” American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2001.  (Full text available at:  http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/chemicals/pdfs/reaction_roadmap.pdf)

4.      “Vision 2020:  Chemical Industry of the Future:  Technology Roadmap for Materials,” August 2000.  (Full text available at:  http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/chemicals/pdfs/materials_tech_roadmap.pdf)

5.      “Vision 2020:  Workshop Report on Alternative Media, Conditions and Raw Materials,” U.S. DOE/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, July 1999.  (Full text available at:  http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/chemicals/pdfs/alternative_roadmap.pdf)

6.       “Chemical Industry of the Future, Energy and Environmental Profile of the U.S. Chemical Industry,” Chapter 1:  Overview , U.S. DOE Office of Industrial Technologies, May 2000.  (Full text available at:  http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/chemicals/pdfs/profile_chap1.pdf)

7.      “Energy and Environmental Profile of the U.S. Petroleum Refining Industry,” U.S. DOE Office of Industrial Technologies, December 1998.  (Full text available at:  http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/petroleum_refining/pdfs/profile.pdf)

8.      “Biobased Industrial Products:  Research and Commercialization Priorities,” National Research Council Commission on Life Sciences, 2000.  (Full text available at:  http://newton.nap.edu/catalog/5295.html)

9.      “Vision for Bioenergy and Biobased Products in the United States ,” U.S. Biomass Research and Development Advisory Committee, October 2002.  (Full text available at:  http://www.climatevision.gov/sectors/electricpower/pdfs/bioenergy_vision.pdf)   

10.  “Roadmap for Biomass Technologies in the United States ,” U.S. Biomass Research and Development Advisory Committee, December 2002.  (Full text available at:  http://www.biomass.govtools.us/pdfs/FinalBiomassRoadmap.pdf)

11.  “Developing and Promoting Biobased Products and Bioenergy:  Report to the President of the United States in Response to Executive Order 13134,” U.S. DOE and U.S. Department of Agriculture, February 14, 2000 .  (Full text available at:  http://www.biomass.govtools.us/existsite/pdfs/presidentsreport.pdf)

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