Heterogeneous Catalysis

Heterogeneous catalysis is a kind of catalysis in which the catalyst involves a different phase from the reactants and products. This may assign to the physical phase - solid, liquid, or gas - but also to immiscible fluids.

Most heterogeneous catalysts are solids that work within gaseous or liquid reactants. It has active places on its surface onto which the reactants are adsorbed and then associate with the catalyst. This interaction develops the reactivity of the molecules.

Acid catalysis, organometallic catalysis, and enzymatic catalysis are samples of homogeneous catalysis. In such cases, acids and bases are frequently very efficient catalysts, as they can speed up reactions by changing bond polarization.

Heterogeneous catalysis typically includes solid-phase catalysts and gas-phase reactants. In this case, there is a cycle of molecular adsorption, reaction, and desorption happening at the catalyst surface. Thermodynamics, mass transfer, and heat transfer impact the rate of reaction.

Heterogeneous catalysis has at least four steps:

  • Adsorption of the reactant onto the surface of the catalyst.
  • Activation of the adsorbed reactant
  • Reaction of the adsorbed reactant.
  • Diffusion of the product from the surface into the gas or liquid phase
Committee Members
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Stanislaw Dzwigaj

Stanislaw Dzwigaj

Sorbonne University, France
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Dai Yeun Jeong

Dai Yeun Jeong

Asia Climate Change Education Center, Korea, Republic of
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Enrico Paris

Enrico Paris

CREA-IT & DIAEE, Italy
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Hanna Kierzkowska Pawlak

Hanna Kierzkowska Pawlak

Lodz University of Technology, Poland
CAT 2026 Speakers
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Ling Yin

Ling Yin

Cornell University, United States
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Tsitsishvili Vladimer

Tsitsishvili Vladimer

Petre Melikishvili Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry at the Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Rafia Ahmad

Rafia Ahmad

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Eun Han Lee

Eun Han Lee

Korea Institute of Energy Research, Korea, Republic of
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Neul Ha

Neul Ha

Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, Republic of
Speaker at Catalysis & Reaction Engineering 2026 - Shailza Sharma

Shailza Sharma

RMIT University, Australia

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