Since the turn of the last century when the field of catalysis was born, iron and cobalt have been key players in numerous catalysis processes. These metals, due to their ability to activate CO and CH, haev a major economic impact worldwide. Several industrial processes and synthetic routes use these metals: biomass-to-liquids (BTL), coal-to-liquids (CTL), natural gas-to-liquids (GTL), water-gas-shift, alcohol synthesis, alcohol steam reforming, polymerization processes, cross-coupling reactions, and photocatalyst activated reactions. A vast number of materials are produced from these processes, including oil, lubricants, waxes, diesel and jet fuels, hydrogen (e.g., fuel cell applications), gasoline, rubbers, plastics, alcohols, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, feed-stock chemicals, and other alternative materials. However, given the true complexities of the variables involved in these processes, many key mechanistic issues are still not fully defined or understood. This Special Issue of Catalysis will be a collaborative effort to combine current catalysis research on these metals from experimental and theoretical perspectives on both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. We welcome contributions from the catalysis community on catalyst characterization, kinetics, reaction mechanism, reactor development, theoretical modeling, and surface science.

Fischer-Tropsch Technology is a unique book for its state-of-the-art approach to Fischer Tropsch (FT) technology. This book provides an explanation of the basic principles and terminology that are required to understand the application of FT technology. It also contains comprehensive references to patents and previous publications. As the first publication to focus on theory and application, it is a contemporary reference source for students studying chemistry and chemical engineering. Researchers and engineers active in the development of FT technology will also find this book an invaluable source of information. * Is the first publication to cover the theory and application for modern Fischer Tropsch technology * Contains comprehensive knowledge on all aspects relevant to the application of Fischer Tropsch technology* No other publication looks at past, present and future applications

This book is based on a symposium held during the 248th American Chemical Society meeting that focused on use of the Fischer-Tropsch process in producing synthetic fuels. Its contents reflect the four dominant subjects of the meeting: catalyst preparation and activation, catalyst activity and reaction mechanisms, catalyst characterization and related reactions, and topics concerning commercializing the Fischer-Tropsch process. It covers recent developments related to renewable resources and green energy and provides a glimpse of the commercial potential of the Fischer-Tropsch process in synthetic fuel production.

This volume contains peer-reviewed manuscripts describing the scientific and technological advances presented at the 6th Natural Gas Conversion Sumposium held in Alaska in June 2001. This symposium continues the tradition of excellence and the status as the premier technical meeting in this area established by previous meetings.The 6th Natural Gas Conversion Symposium is conducted under the overall direction of the Organizing Committee. The Program Committee was responsible for the review, selection, editing of most of the manuscripts included in this volum. A standing International Advisory Board has ensured the effective long-term planning and the continuity and technical excellence of these meetings.

Decision support systems are developed for integrated pest and disease management and nutrition management using open-source technologies as Java, Android and low-cost hardware devices like Arduino micro controller. This text discusses the techniques to convert agricultural knowledge in the context of ontology and assist grape growers by providing this knowledge through decision support system. The key features of the book are as follows: It presents the design and development of an ontology-based decision support system for integrated crop management. It discusses the techniques to convert agricultural knowledge in text to ontology. It focuses on an extensive study of various e-Negotiation protocols for automated negotiations. It provides an architecture for predicting the opponent’s behavior and various factors which affect the process of negotiation. The text is primarily written for graduate students, professionals and academic researchers working in the fields of computer science and engineering, agricultural science and information technology. Dr Gerrard E.J. Poinern holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Murdoch University, Western Australia and a Double Major in Physics and Chemistry. Currently he is is an Associate Professor in Physics and Nanotechnology in the School of Engineering and Information Technology at Murdoch University. He is the director of Murdoch Applied Innovation and Nanotechnology Research Group, Murdoch University. In 2003, he discovered and pioneered the use of an inorganic nanomembrane for potential skin tissue engineering applications. He is the recipient of a Gates Foundation Global Health Grand Challenge Exploration Award for his work in the development of biosynthetic materials and their subsequent application in the manufacture of biomedical devices. He is also the author of the 2014 experimental textbook "A Laboratory Course in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology". Associate Professor Suraj K Tripathy is Associate Dean of the School of Chemical Technology at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, India. He currently leads the Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering Lab (CBEL) at KIIT which focuses on achieving sustainability in materials processing and utilization. CBEL explores opportunities in valorization of waste materials (secondary resources) and investigate their applications in catalysis, water treatment, and biomedical systems. CBEL also works closely with industries to develop suitable waste management and resource recycling strategies to optimize the potential of circular economy model. Dr. Derek Fawcett is the Defence Science Centre research fellow at Murdoch University, Australia. His research involves the investigation and development of new advanced materials and their use in innovative engineering systems. He has published over seventy peer-reviewed research papers in international journals.

Catalysis, in the industrial production of chemicals, fuels, and materials, accounts for more than half of gross material production worldwide. Heterogeneous catalysis enables fast and selective chemical transformations, resulting in superior product yield and facilitating catalyst separation and recovery. The synthesis of novel catalysts has emerged as a hot topic for process and product development with numerous research publications and patents. Hence, development of efficient catalysts and their applications is important for sustainable energy production and use, green chemicals production and use, and economic growth. This Special Issue discusses recent developments related to catalysis for the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals and traverses many new frontiers of catalysis including synthesis, characterization, catalytic performances, reaction kinetics and modelling, as well as applications of catalysts for the production of biofuels, synthesis gas, and other green products. This covers the current state-of-the-art catalysis research applied to bioenergy, organic transformation, carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatoms, reforming, hydrogenation, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrodemetalization, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, to name a few. This book highlights new avenues in catalysis including catalyst preparation methods, analytical tools for catalyst characterization, and techno-economic assessment to enhance a chemical or biological transformation process using catalysts for a betterment of industry, academia and society.

This book provides a review of worldwide developments in ammonia synthesis catalysts over the last 30 years. It focuses on the new generation of Fe1-xO based catalysts and ruthenium catalysts — both are major breakthroughs for fused iron catalysts. The basic theory for ammonia synthesis is systematically explained, covering topics such as the chemical components, crystal structure, preparation, reduction, performance evaluation, characterization of the catalysts, the mechanism and kinetics of ammonia synthesis reaction. Both theory and practice are combined in this presentation, with emphasis on the research methods, application and exploitation of catalysts.The comprehensive volume includes an assessment of the economic and engineering aspects of ammonia plants based on the performance of catalysts. Recent developments in photo-catalysis, electro-catalysis, biocatalysis and new uses of ammonia are also introduced in this book.The author, Professor Huazhang Liu, has been engaged in research and practice for more than 50 years in this field and was the inventor of the first Fe1-xO based catalysts in the world. He has done a lot of research on Fe3O4 based- and ruthenium based-catalysts, and has published more than 300 papers and obtained 21 patents during his career.