Abstract

Interrogating Catalyst Deactivation and Leaching in Continuous Flow

Mimi Hii, Professor, Imperial College London

Catalyst deactivation and leaching are major issues in continuous flow processes conducted in a liquid-phase, and are major determinants in their commercial viability. In this work, a study on the deactivation pathways of an aerobic oxidation catalyst will be described. In the second half of this presentation, the development of a tandem flow-reactor system will be described, which allowed us to distinguish between surface-catalyzed reactions from those occurring in solution in a model Heck reaction. For the first time, the relative rates and the extent of catalyst leaching can be quantified by the application of multiscale modelling; the preliminary result implies that catalyst leaching could be a non-linear process.