Recent progress in the practical applications of heteropolyacid and perovskite catalysts: Catalytic technology for the sustainable society

Recent progresses in practical applications of (i) supported heteropolyacid and (ii) Pd/perovskite catalysts are described. (i) Two industrial catalytic processes, ethyl acetate and acetic acid syntheses both from ethylene, utilize silicotungstic acid, alone and together with Pd, respectively, carefully supported on silica, and exhibit high performance from green chemical and economical viewpoints. The layer structure of heteropolyacid on silica and physical properties of silica are among the key factors of the high performance. (ii) Pd/perovskite catalyst is applied for the treatment of automotive emission, where the catalyst life is very much elongated by embedding Pd into the perovskite lattice and hence resulted in much reduced usage of Pd. These are good examples of green catalytic technology that will contribute to the sustainable society.