Catalysis for a Sustainable Environment

Interdisciplinary approach to sustainability, illustrating current catalytic approaches in applied chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science

Catalysis for a Sustainable Environment covers the use of catalysis in its various approaches, including homogeneous, supported, and heterogeneous catalysis, and photo- and electrocatalysis, towards sustainable environmental benefits. The text fosters interdisciplinarity in sustainability by illustrating modern perspectives in catalysis, from fields including inorganic, organic, organometallic, bioinorganic, pharmacological, and analytical chemistry, along with chemical engineering and materials science.

The chapters are grouped in seven sections on (i) Carbon Dioxide Utilization, (ii) Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Transformation, (iii) Carbon-based Catalysis, (iv) Coordination, Inorganic, and Bioinspired Catalysis, (v) Organocatalysis, (vi) Catalysis for Water and Liquid Fuels Purification, and (vii) Hydrogen Formation/Storage.

Sample topics covered in Catalysis for a Sustainable Environment include:

• Activation of relevant small molecules with strong environmental impact and carbon-based catalysts for sustainable chemical processes
• Catalytic synthesis of important added value organic compounds, in both commodity and fine chemistries (large and small scale productions, respectively)
• Development of catalytic systems operating under environmentally benign and mild conditions towards the establishment of sustainable energy processes
• Catalysis by coordination, metal and metal-free compounds, MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) and nanoparticles, and their contribution to environmental and sustainable processes

Employing the latest approaches that impact global and circular economies, Catalysis for a Sustainable Environment serves as an excellent starting point for innovative catalytic approaches, and will appeal to professionals in engineering, academia, and industry who wish to improve existing processes and materials.

Armando Pombeiro is Full Professor Jubilado at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, member of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, of the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC) and of the Academia Europaea. His research addresses activation of small molecules with industrial, environmental or biological significance.

Manas Sutradhar is an Assistant Professor at the Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon and an integrated researcher at the Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal.

Elisabete C.B.A. Alegria is Adjunct Professor at the Chemical Engineering Department of Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL) from Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon.