Translating new materials discoveries in zeolite research to commercial manufacture

In this presentation I will attempt to describe the expansion of new materials in the microporous metal oxide world and then some of the boundary conditions which must be met in trying to scale them up. The field of zeolite and mesoporous materials has seen considerable numbers of new discoveries in recent years as the chemistries explored have continued to be creative. In what follows, I will survey some of the concepts used in arriving at new structures. Then I will follow-up with some views of issues that need to be faced in being able to generate these materials on a large scale and in an affordable fashion. This latter feature, of course, has some flexibility in terms of what the value of the process application will be, how strict the environmental regulations are in regard to both the process application and the catalyst production environment, and finally, costs of raw materials and production at the manufacturing site.

The creation of new zeolite materials continues to expand. One new area is the understanding that layered silicates, which precede the crystallization of 3-D zeolites (see transformation of one into the other in the image) may be interesting catalysts in their own right. The hurdles for commercialization of new materials are also discussed.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► The creation of new chemistry which leads to new microporous materials continues to expand.
► The utitlity of a new material in a commercial application is most likely related to providing enhanced catalytic selectivity.
► A number of factors contribute to large scale production costs and these are hurdles to be overcome in a variety of creative approaches.