Glossary

Activated carbon is a highly porous carbon with an exceptionally large internal surface area, created by a highly branched network of micro-, meso-, and macropores.

Catalytic activity describes a catalyst’s ability to accelerate a chemical reaction by increasing the reaction rate compared to the uncatalyzed reaction under otherwise identical process

Catalytic afterburning is a modern method for cleaning industrial exhaust air using a precious metal-containing catalyst. This process is used to remove harmful volatile organic

A batch reactor is a closed-loop reactor used to carry out chemical or biochemical reactions. All reactants (starting materials) are added to the reactor at

A catalyst support is a material with a large specific surface area on which catalytically active metal particles are fixed. The activity of heterogeneous catalysts

Catalysts are essential for the industrial hydrogenation of fats because they make the reaction more efficient, controllable, and economical by significantly increasing the reaction rate

Catalytically active centers are pure surface chemistry: atoms, ions, atom clusters, adsorbed molecules, chemisorbed groups, crystal surfaces… on support materials. These are the parts of

A co-catalyst is a substance used alongside the primary catalyst in a chemical reaction to enhance its activity, selectivity, or stability. Co-catalysts are not independent

Coking, also known as carbon buildup, is a common problem in catalysis, particularly in processes involving hydrocarbons or carbon oxides. It describes the formation of

The contact process is the most important industrial process for the production of sulfuric acid and is one of the most important industrial processes in

Deactivation Catalyst deactivation is a key aspect in the development and optimization of chemical processes. It describes the irreversible or reversible reduction of catalytic activity

Desiccants are materials or chemical substances used to remove moisture from gases or liquids by relying on chemical or physical principles and sometimes also possessing

Dry bed absorption in the semiconductor industry is a safe, passive method for exhaust gas treatment in ion implantation, SiO2 etching, … and as an

Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) consist of a mixture of nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and are among the most significant pollutants. They are produced

Catalytic exhaust gas purification is a process used in industry to reduce pollutants in exhaust gases through chemical reactions on a catalyst. In this process,

A fixed-bed reactor is a chemical reactor in which the catalyst or reaction mass is present in a solid phase (as the “fixed bed”), while

Halogenated hydrocarbons incl. Hydrogen chlorides (CHCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs or CFCs) are synthetic organic compounds that have been and are used in various

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An inhibitor is a substance that slows down or completely stops a chemical reaction without being permanently consumed. Inhibitors are used in a wide variety

Molecular sieves belong to the group of zeolites. These materials, consisting of aluminum silicates, are used to separate molecules according to their size or shape.

Nanoparticles are particles in the size range of 1–100 nm, consisting of just a few atoms or molecules. They are characterized by their altered physical

Oleum, also known as fuming sulfuric acid, is a highly concentrated solution of sulfuric acid containing sulfur trioxide (SO₃). The production process takes place via

Catalyst poisoning refers to the deactivation of a catalyst by the adsorption of unwanted substances, so-called poisons, onto its active sites (see chemisorption). These toxins,

Precious metals, such as platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), silver (Ag), and gold (Au), are chemically very stable and do

A promoter is a substance that enhances the activity of a catalyst without being catalytically active itself. Promoters act as supportive agents by increasing the

Catalysis research aims to make chemical reactions more efficient; the “secret” is the reduction of the activation energy by catalytically active atoms on the surface.

Conversion refers to the percentage of the starting material – known as substrates – that is transformed into products. In chemical process engineering, conversion is

Selectivity describes the ability of a chemical reaction to preferentially form a specific product (value product) while minimizing the formation of undesired byproducts. A distinction

Silica gel, also called silica gel, is an amorphous, porous silicon dioxide (SiO₂) with a high specific surface area of ​​typically 600 – 800 m²/g.

Sintering describes the loss of the catalytically active surface of a catalyst as a result of structural modifications. This is a thermally activated process of

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is an industrial process for controlling nitrogen oxides (NOx) after combustion, in which ammonia is mixed with the flue gas in

Steam reforming is an industrial process for producing hydrogen (H₂) from hydrocarbon compounds such as methane (CH₄) or other fossil fuels. It is a chemical

Synthesis gas (syngas) is a gas mixture consisting mainly of hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) in variable ratios. Depending on the raw materials used

Thermocatalysis is a process in which chemical reactions are accelerated by the combined effect of heat (thermo) and a catalyst. It is one of the

Total oxidation is a chemical reaction in which organic compounds are completely oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). In the field of catalysis,

Catalysts “live” from the active centers on their surface; these can be tiny platinum particles, acid centers, iron crystal surfaces, liquid vanadium oxide islands, finely

VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are chemical compounds in organic chemistry whose boiling point lies in the temperature range of 60 °C to 250 °C

The water-gas shift reaction (WGS) is a chemical reaction that plays a central role in the production of hydrogen from hydrocarbons or coal. It is

Zeolites are a class of mineral or synthetic aluminosilicates with a porous crystal structure. They consist of aluminum, silicon, oxygen, and often additional cations such