The "Catalyst Shaping, Translation & Scale-Up" department focuses on assembling catalytically active centers on a mesoscale, i.e., in a suitable catalyst pellet or catalytically active molded body, in order to enable the use of the corresponding materials in large-scale plants, for example. The department investigates and optimizes the complex interplay between mass transport, heat transport, and catalytic reaction at the shaped body level. Issues relating to the efficient supply and removal of reactants and heat are crucial for the performance of the shaped catalyst used. The catalyst materials used must therefore be optimized not only in terms of their surface chemistry (stabilization of the catalyst nanoparticles, wetting of the liquid phase, avoidance of side reactions due to carrier acidity, etc.), but also in terms of their pore network in order to optimize mass and heat transport properties. In addition, the focus is on the long-term stability and recycling of the mostly expensive catalysts in order to avoid deactivation of the catalyst on the one hand or to ensure the recovery of the active species on the other.
