Catalysis for an electrified chemical production

From a personal view, this perspective analyses the gaps and opportunities for catalysis to address the electrification of chemical production from a high-tech scenario. It is assumed that a significant substitution of fossil fuels is required to meet the net-zero emissions targets. This vision significantly impacts the future of catalysis and sustainable chemical production. We identified short (up to 2030), medium- (2030-2040) and long-term (2040-2050) objectives for catalysis. Novel catalytic routes of direct manufacturing chemicals and fuels using renewable energy should be developed. These are mainly based on photo-, electro- and plasma-catalysis, indicated shortly as reactive catalysis. Their common characteristic is that reactive species generated in these processes provide the energy to overcome the activation barriers. They differentiate from conventional heterogeneous catalysis, where the energy for the catalytic transformation is given by heat and thus indicated as thermal catalysts. The main priority in the short-term scenario is the design of novel thermal catalysts to exploit the new opportunities given by the electrification of chemical reactors. The innovation related to exploiting the novel possibilities offered by i) structured temperature gradients inside the reactor and ii) operations under fast dynamic temperature control. The medium-term challenge is direct electrification to produce chemicals and fuels, including energy vectors. Their development generates the bases for future carbon-neutral chemical production. Accelerating this innovative transformation requires identifying critical issues and focusing research on them. In the longer term, the necessity of artificial-leaf-type solutions is remarked. They should integrate all the necessary functionalities, including operations without a separate unit to capture/purify the reactants (such as N2 or CO2). These solutions will be an enabling tool for a distributed production of chemicals and fuels.

Automated summary

From a personal perspective, this article analyzes the gaps and opportunities for catalysis in addressing the electrification of chemical production in a high-tech scenario. The short-term objective is the design of novel thermal catalysts to exploit the new opportunities offered by electrification. The medium-term challenge is direct electrification for producing chemicals and fuels, while in the long term, artificial-leaf-type solutions are necessary for distributed production.