Book 3

A cursory examination of the current scientific and technological literature is sufficient to show the enormous interest in the possibility of producing liquid fuels from coal. There are, of course, a number of ways in which coal liquefaction may be effected. Many of the important steps are catalytic. The direct liquefaction route, that is, coal hydrogenation, has a long history with origins in the early years of this century. It also has the distinction of being a process which was once operated on a very large scale and which, having died, now shows every prospect of resurrection. The technology which finally emerges will doubtless differ significantly from the original practice, but it *is sensible for those currently working in the field to be aware of the achievements of the past. Dr. E. Donath, who was personally involved during the heroic years of coal hydrogenation, has provid- ed an historical account of the subject up to the time immediately following World War II, when the large scale process began its rapid decline to oblivion. Processes involving catalytic oxidation form a very large and important part of chemical industry.
The reactions involved are very varied, ranging from the classical oxidation processes of heavy industry, such as the oxidation of sulfur dioxide or of ammonia, to selective oxidations designed to produce specific organic products from a range of possibilities. The chapter by Professor G. K.

Book 5

Catalysis

by John R. Anderson and Michel Boudart

Published 9 April 1987
Hydrotreating processes in petroleum refining were introduced more than 50 years ago for the removal of sulfur and nitrogen. The sulfided cobalt-molybdenum catalyst, together with its near relatives, is still widely used. Two oil crises made it clear that pretroleum reserves are not inexhaustible and we shall be compelled to exploid less satisfactory sources with high sulfur and nitrogen making hydrotreating even more important. This review is particularly timely for the reason that only recently has a detailed understanding of process chemistry and catalyst structure been obtained. The authors concentrate on the catalytic chemistry of the processes, dealing in some detail with the structure of the most important types of catalysts and the relationship of structure to activity.