Review on prospects of using solid superacids as catalysts in petrochemical industry

Abstract EN

Solid super acids are employed as catalysts for many reactions.

They are more commonly used homogeneously.

Homogeneous catalytic operations have several limitations such as corrosion of reactors, catalysts waste, water pollution by acidic wastewater and difficulty of catalyst recovery, especially in continuous industrial processes.

The problems could be alleviated by the use of solid super acids catalysts, heterogeneously.

The acidity strength of these acids is a key factor in the effectiveness of their catalysis.

In some reactions such as alkanes activation, cracking, treating, and / or reforming large molecules, high acidities are required.

This paper, reviews various types of solid super acids and their catalytic actions.

It also describes new types of solid super acids studied and introduced recently.

Some reactions utilizing each type of solid super acid are also discussed with a view to highlight the potentials for their use in the petrochemicals industry.