8. Conclusion

Without heterogeneous catalysis, our world would not be what it is. Heterogeneous catalysis is involved in a wide range of industrial processes, from the preparation of high-octane fuels (petroleum refining) to the production of a wide variety of organic compounds (petrochemicals) and mineral synthesis, but also more recently to the selective synthesis of complex compounds (Fine Organic Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry) and pollution control treatments. The reason is simple. While solid catalysts, like those used in homogeneous phases, can increase the speed of the desired reactions, they also have a much longer service life, not least because they are easier to regenerate and reuse after regeneration, since the heavy carbon products trapped on their surface and responsible for their deactivation are easily eliminated by oxidative treatment.

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