Green Catalysts for Sustainable Chemical Processing: From Refinery and Petrochemical Operations to Biomass and Hydrogen Technologies
Keywords:
Green Catalysts, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, Nanocatalysts, Hydrogen ProductionAbstract
The transition toward sustainable refinery and petrochemical operations has accelerated the development of green catalysts that enhance process efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. This review critically examines recent advances in nanocatalysts, biomass-derived catalysts, zeolite-based catalysts, and catalysts for hydrogen production and environmental remediation. The analysis reveals that catalyst performance is primarily governed by structure-property-performance relationships, particularly active-site distribution, pore architecture, metal-support interactions, and mass-transfer characteristics. Hierarchical zeolites outperform conventional zeolites through improved reactant diffusion and reduced coke formation, while nanocatalysts exhibit enhanced catalytic activity due to greater active-site accessibility and metal dispersion. Biomass-derived catalysts offer sustainable, low-cost alternatives with promising applications in hydroprocessing, biomass upgrading, wastewater treatment, CO₂ utilization, and green hydrogen production. These catalyst systems collectively improve hydrocarbon conversion, catalyst selectivity, fuel quality, and resource efficiency while reducing emissions. However, catalyst deactivation, metal leaching, high production costs, scale-up challenges, and limited long-term industrial validation remain significant barriers to commercialization. The review concludes that future progress depends on establishing robust structure-property-performance relationships and integrating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational catalyst design to develop durable, economically viable, and scalable catalytic systems for low-carbon refinery and petrochemical operations.
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