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Growth Opportunities for Catalysts Enabling a Global Low Carbon Transition

  • Report

  • 73 Pages
  • October 2021
  • Region: Global
  • Frost & Sullivan
  • ID: 5472981

Need for Cost-effective, High-performance Production Processes towards Achieving a Circular Economy Drives Strategic Partnering

The role of catalysts in renewable energy generation, such as solar-to-energy, green hydrogen, power-to-X, and waste-to-fuel, is focused primarily on increasing the efficiency rates while reducing heat loss. In solar energy generated through solar panels, catalysts help enhance the energy being absorbed and transported across the solar panels. In applications such as carbon/methane conversion and grey and blue hydrogen generation, catalysts optimize the conversion rate while reducing harmful by-product generation, such as methane or carbon monoxide.

Catalyst technology can help address the increasing demand for clean energy by boosting the efficiency of solar and wind energy. Moreover, technology developments focused on creating catalysts from recyclable or natural materials and/or making them bio-degradable can support the sustainability practices in various industries.

The use of catalysts in various processes can reduce the operating temperature, eventually decreasing energy consumption and providing stability, which reduces the risk of heat loss and the emission of harmful by-products in low-carbon applications. For many years, technology developers focused on delivering low cost and sustainable alternatives within catalysis processes for technologies such as carbon conversion, hydrogen generation, and solar energy to ensure a smooth low carbon transition.

Catalysts are available in 4 types, namely homogenous, heterogeneous, mixed, and biocatalysts. The first 2 catalysts are widely commercialized and already in use for low-carbon applications while the other 2 remain in the early stages of development and adoption.

Emerging technologies, such as nanocatalysts and photocatalysts, have shown the potential to reduce maintenance costs as they offer high stability and durability as well as enhance the rate of reaction. However, understanding the safety of adopting these catalysts within low-carbon applications remains limited.

Studies indicate that the doping of metal oxides and rare earth metals can enhance the durability of any given catalyst as well as increase the active sites of the catalyst due to their porous structure. These doped catalysts have been tested in hydrogen generation and utilization. These catalysts have also shown high stability with minimal maintenance needed in the generation of hydrogen energy from seawater.

In the carbon/methane conversion process, transition metal-based catalysts have proven to reduce the operating temperature while enhancing the conversion rate. As for waste-to-fuel applications, photocatalysts are effective, even in alkaline solutions.


This research is intended to answer the following questions:

  • How important are catalysts for low carbon transition?
  • What are the various types of current and emerging catalytic technologies and their intended applications?
  • What are the benefits and limitations of catalysts that influence their adoption in low carbon transition?
  • What are the various R&D efforts by industry participants aimed at accelerating the adoption of catalysts in the low carbon transition? 

Table of Contents

1 Strategic Imperatives
1.1 Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8™: Factors Creating Pressure on Growth
1.2 The Strategic Imperative 8™
1.3 The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on Catalysts Enabling Low Carbon Transition
1.4 Growth Opportunities Fuel The Growth Pipeline Engine™
1.5 Research Methodology

2 Growth Environment
2.1 Low Carbon Transition Gaining Prominence across Geographies
2.2 Role of Catalysts in Smooth Transition towards Low-carbon Energy
2.3 Funding and Investment Activities to Enable Low Carbon Transition across Regions
2.4 Research Context
2.5 Research Scope and Key Questions Answered
2.6 Potential Adoption of Catalyst Technologies Facilitating Various Low-carbon Technologies

3 Technology Assessment
3.1 Overview of Various Catalysts
3.2 Homogenous and Heterogeneous Catalysts Widely Used in Energy and Power Supply Applications
3.3 Catalysts Play a Vital Role in Low-carbon Energy Generation
3.4 Standards and Protocols in Fabricating and Handling Catalysts
3.5 Factors Influencing and Limiting Catalyst Adoption across Applications
3.6 Catalytic Technology Has the Potential to Optimize Hydrogen Production
3.7 Metal/Metal Composite Catalysts Provide a Sustainable Alternative in Carbon/Methane Conversion
3.8 Comparative Analysis of Commercialized Catalytic Technologies
3.9 Comparative Analysis of Nanocatalytic Technology
3.10 Comparative Analysis of Biocatalytic Technologies
3.11 Comparative Analysis of Photocatalytic Technologies
3.12 Comparative Analysis of Heterogenized Homogeneous Catalysts

4 Innovation Indicators
4.1 Increasing Research Efforts by Academia on Developing Homogeneous Catalysts Using Nanotechnology
4.2 Academia Focusing on Catalytic Development for Hydrogen Generation
4.3 Developing Cost-efficient, High-performance Hydrogen Generation Processes Using Various Catalysts
4.4 Improving Carbon Conversion Rate through Catalysts, the Focus of Various Research Efforts
4.5 Testing Underway on the Use of Heterogenized Homogeneous Catalysts for Hydrogen Generation
4.6 Developing Sustainable and Environment Friendly Catalysts for Aligning With Circular Economy Principles are Being Explored
4.7 North America and Europe Lead in Patent Activity
4.8 Potential for Developing High-performance Catalyst Technology through Nanotechnology
4.9 Government Funding Opportunities across Europe and APAC
4.10 Funding Opportunities Focused on Developing Catalysts
4.11 Collaborations and Partnerships in Catalyst Development

5 Companies to Action
5.1 Sustainable Technology for Reducing Carbon Emission
5.2 Creating Circular Economy Materials for Various Industries through Biocatalysts
5.3 Fabricating Green Industrial Feedstock through Catalyst Technology
5.4 Enhancing the Adoption of Low-carbon Technologies through Catalyst
5.5 Facilitating Adoption of Cost-efficient Hydrogen Utilization through Heterogenous Catalyst
5.6 Scaling Up the Adoption of Brown Hydrogen Generation through Homogenous Catalyst
5.7 Increasing the Efficiency of Carbon Conversion through Cost-efficient Homogenous Catalyst
5.8 Cost-efficient and Tunable in Developing Green Industrial Feedstock
5.9 Generating Grey Hydrogen with Efficient Catalyst Technology
5.10 Improving the Carbon Conversion Process with Low-cost Homogenous Catalyst
5.11 Environment-friendly Alternative for Clean Energy Generation
5.12 Rising the Efficiency of Homogenous Catalyst in Developing High-value Chemical Synthesis
5.13 Green Energy Generation through Composite Catalyst
5.14 Improving Carbon Conversion Technology Using Heterogeneous Catalyst
5.15 Low-cost yet Highly Functional Catalyst in Hydrogen Generation Process

6 Growth Opportunity Universe
6.1 Growth Opportunity 1: Optimizing the Adoption of Renewable Sources through Catalyst Technology
6.2 Growth Opportunity 2: Developing a Circular Economy Pathway Using Catalyst Technology in Waste-to-Fuel Applications
6.3 Growth Opportunity 3: Increasing Adoption of Nanotechnology for Catalyst Development

7 Appendix
7.1 Technology Readiness Levels (TRL): Explanation

8 Next Steps
8.1 Your Next Steps