Solving Issues with Heterogeneous Catalytic Hydrogenation

General Comments

The successful scale-up of heterogeneously catalysed hydrogenations is often regarded as somewhat of a ‘black box’ operation, though over time a reasonable body of knowledge has been accumulated to help identify and solve various topics related to poor catalyst performance. If issues are found with unacceptably high catalyst loading and/or poor selectivity, greater resilience to poisoning is typically required. Most major suppliers of heterogeneous catalysts, in addition to offering diverse variations in metal loadings/solid supports/additives in commercially available catalysts, can also help design and develop bespoke catalysts tailored for a specific hydrogenation.

Key References

Crabtree, R. H. Deactivation in Homogeneous Transition Metal Catalysis: Causes, Avoidance, and Cure. Chem. Rev. 2015, 115 (1), 127–150.

Hammond, C. Intensification Studies of Heterogeneous Catalysts: Probing and Overcoming Catalyst Deactivation During Liquid Phase Operation. Green Chem. 2017, 19 (12), 2711–2728.

Menon, P. G. Diagnosis of Industrial Catalyst Deactivation by Surface Characterization Techniques. Chem. Rev. 1994, 94 (4), 1021–1046.