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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65021-6_11
Non-conventional Catalytic Materials
for Refining and Petrochemicals
Subhashini and Tarak Mondal
Abstract Over decades, oil refineries have been one of the major energy sources to
meet the growing energy demands of world. This extensive dependency will extend
for next few decades due to the comprehensive research and development in the
evolution of oil refineries. The special achievement of researchers of using zeolites
as catalysts in the sector of oil refining and petrochemistry has led to a whole new
subdivision in the twentieth century. In this chapter, the introductory part briefly
describes about the composition of crude oil and various separation processes
involved in its extraction in oil refineries and petrochemical industries. The main
body of the chapter focuses on the description of refining processes using various
catalysts and later adapting the zeolites as catalysts due to their extraordinary properties and features. The final section contains the brief introduction of MOFs, a new
member of crystalline materials, and also the scope of their usage in oil refineries
and petrochemical industries.
Keywords Non conventional catalysis · Refining · Petrochemicals · Catalytic
cracking · Hydroprocessing · Metal organic frameworks
Petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons found in vast underground pockets
called reservoirs, in various forms of matter such as gaseous, liquid, or solid.
Although the word “petroleum” means it is in liquid form, it also appeared in gaseous form (natural gas) and solid form (solid bitumen). Petroleum was formed from
the buried ancient marine organisms such as plants, algae, and bacteria underneath
sedimentary rocks at high pressure and temperature conditions. Long ago plants and
animals lived in shallow seas. The organic material (plants and animals) mixed with
other sediments was buried after dying and sinking to the seafloor. In the absence of
plentiful oxygen, the aerobic bacteria were not able to decompose the organic
Subhashini · T. Mondal (*)
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar,
Rupnagar, Punjab, India
e-mail: tarakmondal@iitrpr.ac.in
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65021-6_11
Non-conventional Catalytic Materials
for Refining and Petrochemicals
Subhashini and Tarak Mondal
Abstract Over decades, oil refineries have been one of the major energy sources to
meet the growing energy demands of world. This extensive dependency will extend
for next few decades due to the comprehensive research and development in the
evolution of oil refineries. The special achievement of researchers of using zeolites
as catalysts in the sector of oil refining and petrochemistry has led to a whole new
subdivision in the twentieth century. In this chapter, the introductory part briefly
describes about the composition of crude oil and various separation processes
involved in its extraction in oil refineries and petrochemical industries. The main
body of the chapter focuses on the description of refining processes using various
catalysts and later adapting the zeolites as catalysts due to their extraordinary properties and features. The final section contains the brief introduction of MOFs, a new
member of crystalline materials, and also the scope of their usage in oil refineries
and petrochemical industries.
Keywords Non conventional catalysis · Refining · Petrochemicals · Catalytic
cracking · Hydroprocessing · Metal organic frameworks
Petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons found in vast underground pockets
called reservoirs, in various forms of matter such as gaseous, liquid, or solid.
Although the word “petroleum” means it is in liquid form, it also appeared in gaseous form (natural gas) and solid form (solid bitumen). Petroleum was formed from
the buried ancient marine organisms such as plants, algae, and bacteria underneath
sedimentary rocks at high pressure and temperature conditions. Long ago plants and
animals lived in shallow seas. The organic material (plants and animals) mixed with
other sediments was buried after dying and sinking to the seafloor. In the absence of
plentiful oxygen, the aerobic bacteria were not able to decompose the organic
Subhashini · T. Mondal (*)
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar,
Rupnagar, Punjab, India
e-mail: tarakmondal@iitrpr.ac.in