Needs and Gaps for Catalysis in Addressing Transitions in Chemistry and Energy from a Sustainability Perspective

Abstract

Catalysis is undergoing a major transition resulting from significant changes in chemical and energy production. To honor the 50th anniversary of establishing the Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, this Essay discusses, from a forward‐looking, personal and somewhat provocative perspective, the needs and gaps of catalysis to address the ongoing transition in chemistry and energy from a sustainability perspective. The focus is on a few selected aspects identified as crucial: i) The precise synthesis of catalytic materials, particularly focusing on mesoporous molecular sieves, metal–organic frameworks, and zeolites (particularly two‐dimensional type); ii) advanced catalyst characterization methods; iii) new concepts and approaches needed in catalysis to meet the demands of a field of energy and chemistry in transition.

Plasma Technology for CO2 Conversion: A Personal Perspective on Prospects and Gaps

“…This is the objective of the ERC Synergy grant SCOPE (810182). While the science of catalysis can be considered well-established (Čejka et al, 2018) and there are good bases for applications to new fields as well, such as the use of renewable resources (Centi and Perathoner, 2009;Č ejka et al, 2018;Centi andČejka, 2019), plasma technology is still not at the same level, and still has to be promoted to be considered as an integral and relevant part of the roadmaps on the future challenges in this area (Lanzafame et al, 2017b).…”

“…Together with the increasing evidence that renewable energy sources (RES) are now already the cheaper and more sustainable energy source (International Renewable Energy Agency -IRENA, 2019), and will become even more so in the near future, this allows us to predict a radical change in the actual production of chemicals and energy production, with RES becoming the backbone of our society in substitution of fossil fuels (Lanzafame et al, 2017a,b;Perathoner and Centi, 2019). This also has major implications in terms of technological perspectives (Centi andČejka, 2019;, because it requires developing new disruptive technologies that allow the direct use of RES for chemical production and chemical energy storage, and to close the carbon cycle. This is the reason for interest in plasma chemistry.…”

Smart catalytic materials for energy transition

“…Thus, changing from thermal to photo/electrocatalysis requires a full rethinking of the conceptual aspects of catalyst design. 2 This opens new possibilities for the area of smart catalytic materials.…”

Economics of CO2 Utilization: A Critical Analysis

“…In addition, often constrains in terms of industrial applicability and of the impact related to a system change are not properly considered, as commented later. There is a need of a broader-view approach, exploring new solutions, synergies and possibilities (Centi andČejka, 2019a), but at the same time also strongly guided from an industrial vision on targets, issues, integration, solutions.…”

“…The techno-economic feasibility of CO 2 utilization routes is a crucial element for their industrial implementation, together with other relevant aspects, such as the impact on the reduction of CO 2 emissions (Centi et al, 2019a;Centi et al, 2019b). This impact must be considered in terms of services provided using CO 2 to substitute fossil resources rather than in terms of 1) amount of CO 2 stored and 2) storage time (Schlögl et al, 2018).…”