7. Major industrial processes

The applications of heterogeneous catalysis are many and varied (see table 3 ). Without heterogeneous catalysis, our technological society, built on petroleum, would not be what it is. More than 80% of petroleum molecules encounter a catalyst in refineries, transforming into fuels and major chemical intermediates. While this involvement of heterogeneous catalysis in the conversion processes of refining and petrochemicals is essential, its role does not stop there. Heterogeneous catalysis is involved in a wide range of other industrial processes, from inorganic chemistry to the synthesis of highly sophisticated chemical fine compounds and drug molecules, as well as the treatment of pollutant emissions.