The Catalyst Group Reports Archive

An assessment of the commercial pathways and business viability of CCUS at scale. Maps the CO₂ supply chain across capture, conditioning, transport, utilization, and storage; includes sensitivity-driven techno-economics (e.g., the disproportionate impact of co-reactant prices — doubling H₂ from $3.5 to $7.0/kg drove a 52% increase in synthetic jet-fuel selling price) and a waste-valorization framework leveraging industrial alkaline byproducts such as steel slag, fly ash, cement kiln dust, and mine tailings.

A structured catalogue of the most significant scientific advances in CCUS over a three-year window, spanning capture (absorption, adsorption, membranes, and emerging routes), CO₂ conditioning and transport, utilization, and geological storage. Anchored on concrete commercial milestones (Air Products SMR at 500 tH₂/day, Quest CCS at 5 MtCO₂ stored), next-generation vendors (Svante, TDA Research), and EU demonstration projects (LEILAC-1 and LEILAC-2 at HeidelbergCement).

A techno-economic investigation of how the oil refining and petrochemical industries are addressing CO₂ emissions reduction within their broader corporate sustainability agendas. Maps current activity across six dimensions, emissions-reduction objectives, operational and technology deployments, capital expenditure, R&D, venturing (start-ups and joint ventures), and supply-chain management, alongside wider sustainability initiatives spanning water, air, land and biodiversity, waste management, and product stewardship. 

A market-intelligence profile of the seed- and early-stage startups commercializing catalysis as a core technology, organized by end market (fuels, chemicals, materials) and by feedstock (CO₂, biomass, plastics), with a dedicated section on the venture-capital funds backing them. Profiles innovators including H₂U Technology (iridium-free PEM electrolyzers), Hycamite (methane pyrolysis to $1/kg hydrogen), Syzygy Plasmonics (photocatalytic reactors), Infinium, C1, and Spark e-Fuels, benchmarked on technology, cost, and commercial readiness against goals such as the U.S. DOE Hydrogen Shot (‘1-1-1’).

A materials-science review of the advances driving thermal catalysis, spanning four material classes — single-atom catalysts (SACs), two-dimensional (2D) catalysts, three-dimensional (3D) catalysts, and traditional materials — each assessed on synthesis, characterization, physico-chemical properties, and catalytic activity in industrially relevant reactions. Gives particular depth to SACs, the field’s most promising class, and examines the technical, scale-up, and economic barriers between laboratory results and commercial production.

A technical review of the catalytic routes for upgrading, converting, and co-processing ‘circular’ feedstocks — biomass and waste streams — into fuels and chemicals as alternatives to fossil crude. Surveys thermo- and bio-catalytic biomass conversion (catalytic pyrolysis and hydrodeoxygenation of lignocellulose), with dedicated chapters on waste tire and rubber, textile waste, and organic waste valorization, and attention to feed complexity and techno-economic bottlenecks.

A technical review of how electrification can decarbonize catalytic and chemical processes, particularly the hard-to-abate sectors (ethylene, ammonia, methanol; cement and steel). Distinguishes direct electrification — resistive, inductive, and microwave heating — from indirect routes, examines power-to-heat technologies, and details electrified steam methane reforming as a flexible, compact, lower-emission alternative able to absorb intermittent renewable electricity.

A technical review of the catalysts and materials enabling the energy transition across fuel cells, batteries, and energy storage. Covers the major fuel-cell families (polymer-electrolyte-membrane, alkaline, phosphoric acid, molten carbonate, and solid oxide), advanced battery chemistries, and emerging storage routes including e-fuels synthesized from captured CO₂ and green hydrogen and high-capacity carriers such as methanol.

A technical review of the catalytic routes for converting plastic waste into hydrocarbons, fuels, and petrochemical feedstocks. Covers pyrolysis and catalytic cracking, hydrocracking as a downstream upgrading step, and the use of plastic-derived naphtha in the petrochemical sector, with guidance on matching processes to polymer type (addition vs. condensation) and a frank view of which routes remain at R&D stage. 

A technical review of non-noble-metal catalysts for the reforming and conversion of hydrocarbons, offering a lower-cost alternative to precious-metal systems. Brings together catalyst and process considerations for these strongly endothermic reactions — catalyst shaping for heat transfer, reactor-temperature trade-offs, and deactivation by coking — and reviews catalyst-design strategies to extend lifetime. 

A technical review of electrocatalytic approaches to traditional thermochemical processes, including hydrogen production, as a route to electrify and decarbonize chemical manufacturing. Building on TCGR’s 2019 electro- and photocatalysis study, it maps the new directions, trends, opportunities, challenges, and gaps for electrocatalysis in substituting fossil fuels as both energy source and feedstock. 

A technical review of the catalysts, catalytic processes, and materials underpinning renewable energy production and storage, set against a fast-accelerating renewables outlook (IEA forecasts of a 50%+ rise in capacity to over 1,200 GW by 2024, led by distributed solar PV, wind, hydropower, and bioenergy). Examines where catalysis and materials science can advance the generation, conversion, and storage of renewable energy.

A technical review of how digitalization and the fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0) are transforming catalysis — from high-throughput experimentation and automation to big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in catalyst discovery and process development. Frames IR4.0 as the latest in a series of industrial revolutions and assesses what its key technologies mean for the way catalysis research and manufacturing are conducted.

A technical review of novel potential catalysts for the direct conversion of crude oil to chemicals (COTC), the emerging response to stagnant fuel demand and fast-growing chemicals demand. Examines routes that bypass the conventional fuel refinery — from modified steam crackers able to process heavy crude fractions to integrated crude-to-chemicals refining schemes — to maximize chemical yield with feedstock flexibility and lower cost.