The evolution of Fecralloy® steel-based catalysts

Abstract

Many industrial catalysts consist conventionally of metals dispersed on high surface area ceramic supports. For convenience in use they may be fashioned into spheres or pellets, or even bonded on to larger ceramic substrates. However, recently a new approach has been adopted: the catalyst is bonded to an appropriate steel substrate and thereby acquires a new range of properties, such as mechanical robustness, improved heat dissipation, and improved catalytic activity resulting from the increased surface/volume ratios possible with the system. A special high temperature steel known as Fecralloy® steel is ideally suited for this purpose and yields a new range of catalysts for use in several major applications, including vehicle exhaust emission control.