Monoliths in Heterogeneous Catalysis

Abstract The use of structured catalysts in the chemical industry has been considered for years. Conventional fixed-bed reactors have some obvious disadvantages such as maldistributions of various kinds (including a nonuniform access of reactants to the catalytic surface), high pressure drop in the bed, etc. Structured catalysts are promising as far as elimination of these setbacks is concerned. Two basic kinds of structured catalysts can be distinguished: Structural packings covered with catalytically active material, similar in design to those used in distillation and absorption columns and/or static mixers. Good examples of catalysts of this kind are those offered by Sulzer, clearly developed by Sulzer column packings and static mixers. As in packed beds, there is an intensive radial convective mass transport over the entire cross-section of these packings. Structural packing catalysts and the reactors containing them are, however, not within the scope of this review. Monolithic catalysts are continuou...